Overheating issue - I am stumped!

[wilkin250r]

I highly doubt the heater hose routing is causing an overheating problem. Yes, the heater core will dissipate heat, and it will technically help cool the engine, but not a significant amount. IF the temp gauge is accurate and it's climbing to 250 degrees, the best heater core performance wouldn't bring that below 240.

By all means, fix the heater hose routing, but I wouldn't expect it to cure your problem. There's still something going on, whether it's a faulty temp gauge, or bad thermostat, or water flow problem. I doubt the heater core flow and routing will affect anything more than a few degrees.