My 22RE always had the gurgling sound with the heater valve open whenever I had a HG problem. Would usually be the first thing I would notice followed by low heater output.

NOTE: Mine never makes any gurgling sound otherwise, that is why I always noticed that strange sound and subsequently would find that there was a HG leak.

Could also be trapped air in the system. But try a chemical test on the coolant to check for exhaust gas:
http://www.arrowheadradiator.com/head_gasket_or_combustion_leak_test.htm

Cause of the spiking temperature gauge could be the classic TSB: 029032787 22R-E Engine Temperature Overshoot problem.

Also, when the HG last failed and was repaired, did you find the cause and fix the underlying problem? If not, it has just come back. Typically the HG failing is a symptom of some other problem, such as a plugged radiator, bad t-stat or water pump, engine running too lean or something like that.

And in my case, when I first got the truck, it turned out to have a cracked head. Heads aslo don't normally crack all by themselves, that is also a symptom of some other problem. In my case it all came down to a radiator that was not up to the task of cooling the engine. Finally replaced that and have had no problems since.