I'd start by bleeding the air you likely introduced into the cooling system. There is a good video by eric the car guy on youtube for filling/bleeding a honda coolant system.

 

So I spent the last 15 minutes running the engine with the radiator cap off, I did see some air escape the system but it didn't change the stuttering issue.

What should I do next?

 

I am having the same maxed out temp gauge on a '93. Does most of this apply or different?

 

Most should be the same.

Does your gauge spikes up immediately (too fast for it to be the "true" temperature)?
If so, try unplugging the sender (one-wire sender at the distributor). If it still goes up, then that wire must be shorted to ground somewhere.

That being the case, it may have fried the gauge. If that's happened, it won't work right even after you fix the short.

 

It does shoot straight up when key is turned on. Before car is ever even warmed up.

 

Did you try unplugging the sender? What did it do?

If it still goes right up, you have to find & fix the short. Something like the insulation rubbed off & bare wire touching ground.

Testing the gauge is done by touching that wire to ground & watching the gauge climb towards the top. But the manual warns you to take the wire off the ground BEFORE the gauge gets to the top - or else it can damage the gauge. So its possible that your gauge is already damaged.

 

Update,

So finally had some time. Unplugged the wire and needle stays at the bottom now. I checked resistance on the sensor and bone cold it reads 390 ohms. Fully warmed up it read 80 ohms. What do you think?

 

Your sender resistance readings are higher than listed in the Honda manuals; however, since the resistance is higher, it should even be less likely to cause the temperature gauge to spike immediately with the key on.

Other people with 4th generation Accords have reported the resistance with the car warmed up at about 70 ohms. The resistance will be lower if the coolant temperature was hotter.

If your gauge is still spiking immediately with the key on, it may be due to a short in the wiring or the gauge is the issue.

With the car cool, plug back in the Red wire back into the sending unit. Go inside the car and measure the resistance at the instrument gauge's green 22P connector's Red wire at terminal number 5. Ignition switch position can be turn off when measuring the resistance.

Compare the resistance readings at the sending unit and inside the car. Are they relatively similar?

 

I will try and get to that tomorrow and report back. Was out on the motorcycle for 250 miles today.

 

Take a good look for part of that wire rubbed bare, near the sender. That way, just unplugging the wire might pull the bare spot away from any metal on the engine or anywhere. Look at every part of the wire that's moved or flexed when you unplug the sender.