The whining sounds like a bearing. I would look at the water pump weep hole for any signs of coolant.
You could also remove belt and grasp water pump pulley looking for any movement.
The gauge should not drop to zero, it is either sender or gauge, most likely the sender.
Be very concerned about overheating this engine.
If you have access to scan tool, look at live data mode and see what coolant temp is on scan read out. Also watch the cooling fans and make sure they are working.
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Sunday, July 19th, 2009 AT 8:16 AM