Technical coolant temperature

Question.. Where is coolant at its' hottest in the system.. I placed my 180* sender in the thermostat housing( didn't have other location ) and it reads hotter than that, about 200*.. Is coolant less hot in other parts of the engine?? Would a better location for the sender be in the top of the water pump( only other location )??? Thanks for any help or suggestions....

 

The coolant is at its hottest at a water jacket along side a cylinder.
The water pumps on most engines are drawing coolant from the radiator into the block. So that location would be the coolest.
Verify your heat gun is correct and calibrate or change your gauge.

 

The water jacket at the exhaust ports is probably the hottest. Depending on the engine, it might have a hole to put a sender there, or it might not.

If you have a 180 degree thermostat, you might see 200 degrees there, when the engine is up to operating temp, and the cooling system is working well.

I tend to put the gauge sender where it will fit, on the "hot" side of the engine (not in the water pump, and not above the thermostat).