Temp gauge gone wild. Need clue. Please help.

[M6_Broke_Me]

1996 Outback. Larger engine (2.5L?) Temperature gauge seems to wander to full hot and I,m not convinced that the engine is really overheating. That is, there is no steam bellowing from the radiator and the engine seems to be running just fine. The coolant level is normal too. The fans are operaational. Sometimes the gauge wanders back down to the middle of the temperature range.

 

I really suspect the sensor. Where is it? How do I test it? Maybe I should just measure the actual temperature. What temperature is normal for an engine.

 

Thanks

 

Paul