I have a 1997 Dodge Dakota 4 wheel drive almost restored. My mechanic said it’s normal for the engine to be running hot. Yes it’s all souped up, jet pack, etc. but is this true? It doesn’t seem right to me.

 

How hot is it running?

 

Ive never been given a temp reading because it’s everything under the hood is hot. Hoses, caps for coolant, oil, etc. When I’m getting work done to it and drive to my mechanic, only about a 20 minute drive, it had to ccol down before the guys can touch one thing under the hood. Honestly you could crack an egg and it would be done very quickly. I’ve just never seen anything like it but my mechanic said no worries. I can’t help but worry. I have a bunch of bucks in my truck and I’m proud of it. I always wanted an older truck I could restore. Thank you for responding.

 

A lot of engines since the late 1990's up are designed to run hot to reduce emissions.

You might want to switch to a cooler thermostat,180 or so.
My 5.2 runs pretty cool, in fact it takes a while to put out heat on these cold Winter mornings.
I haven't had it long so not sure what thermostat is in it now, the service records show a new water pump and radiator flush done less than 10K ago so I expect they may have put a different stat in it at that time.