Coolant light was on and the heat gauge was rising and falling then lost heat

I would guess that the lurch and the engine light on was telling you that the engine over heated and you may have done damage to the motor.. IF you have blown a hose or radiator or lost a lot of water then the temp gauge sender has no coolant to read so it will read as normal. because it is reading an over heated piece of metal that it is screwed into and not the coolant temperature.. Have a compression test done to determine possible engine damage. Have a pressure test done on the coolant system to find the cause of the loss of coolant. Do a flow test done on the radiator to check for blocked cores. Check operation of cooling fan especially if you have a viscous fan hub.

You have a air pocket in your cooling system!

Check for low coolant, you might also have a sticking thermostat. Alot of fords get air pockets, make sure if it needs coolant to let it run for about 10-15 min with the radiator cap off.

When your temperature gauge reaches "H' it may too late to prevent a major breakdown. Knowing the symptoms of an overheated car and how they occur may be the difference between being inconvenienced and incapacitated.
Identification:---Other than a low oil level or low oil pressure light, there is not a more significant part of a car's instrumentation than a rising temperature gauge or a glowing "Hot" light. These lights are really the only confirmation a driver has that his car is really overheating. It is the identification of the symptoms of an overheating car that enable the motorist to avert a badly damaged engine. Overheating is always a traumatic event for a car's engine, which makes the early identification of the symptom an important addition to the informed motorist's tool kit.
Stuck Thermostat:--The car's thermostat is a valve that controls coolant flow from the engine block to the radiator. When the engine is cold the thermostat remains closed so that the coolant can reach operating temperature quicker and also provide heat to the passenger's compartment. The thermostat has a spring on it that moves depending on coolant temperature causing the thermostat to open. Sometimes the thermostat fails to open thus restricting coolant flow to the radiator where it would be cooled down. This condition is often the cause of overheating. The symptoms of this cause would be a rising temperature gauge and possibly the loss of heat inside the car.
Restricted Radiator:---A car's radiator will have thousands of gallons of coolant passing through in its lifetime. Along with the coolant comes particulate matter in the form of corrosion breaking loose from various parts of the car's cooling system. These contaminates collect in the tubes of the radiator reducing its efficiency. Extensive "plugging" in the radiator will cause the car to overheat. The symptom of this condition would be a rising temperature gauge which goes up when you accelerate.
Coolant Loss:--A car's cooling system is a closed loop system. You are not supposed to lose coolant. Sufficient coolant loss will cause the engine to run hot because engine is heating less coolant to higher temperatures. The symptom of overheating induced by coolant loss would be a pool of coolant on the pavement when the leak is external. Steam under the hood as the lost coolant hits hot parts of the engine, or a rising temperature gauge in the case of a undetectable engine related leak. Of course, the gauge would also go up if the leaks were not detected. Deteriorated Water Pump:--Cars use a belt driven pump to push the water and coolant mixture through the cooling system. This part is called the water pump. Rarely the impeller that draws the coolant through the pump will rust away making it impossible to push any through the system. If this occurs the temperature gauge will climb and coolant will boil over in the radiator. Inoperable Fan:----Most cooling fans are electrically driven. Some are driven by fan belts. If a belt breaks or the electric supply to the fan is interrupted overheating may result. Electric fans are tuned on thermostatically when needed. When the car runs at idle for extended periods or the weather is extremely hot, a failed fan will cause overheating otherwise it serves as a standby assist to the rest of the cooling system. In stress conditions an inoperable fan will cause the temperature gauge to rise. This will help. Thanks please keep updated.please please do rate the solution positively .thank you for using fixya

look 4 the heater control valve

The fans should come on at 232 degrees, 3/4 of the gauge, or with the A/C on for a minutes. It has a coolant level sensor on the radiator that is bad about going out. It is a little hard to change, but it costs about $40 from GM, or you can just unplug it. It is on the passenger side of the radiator with a two wire connection. Good Luck

Before getting too upset about this, try changing the temperature sender. Can't tell you where it is but it is usually on or near the thermostat housing but some engines have it on the intake manifold or rear of cyl head.

If the coolant is below a certain level, the temperature sensor will not read anything and the temp gauge will not rise. Replace the cap, and check that you have enough coolant in the system. If this does not solve the problem, you will need to test/troubleshoot the coolant temperature sensor.

the gurgling is coolant bubbling out due to the temp.