I'm trying to address some of the problems lately. My AC sometimes will sound like there is sand inside somewhere. Also, does the AC cool the engine? It seems that it does and sometimes the temp guage will go to above 220 and gets me really concerned. When the AC is on, the temp guage will go down to 220 or below. I do this so the engine doesn't overheat.

th a/c does not cool the engine. it does force the radiator fan to come on tho.
the radiator fan sensor is set to come on at 235 off at 225 for your reference. the temp guage in the car is notoriously inaccurrate, so hard to go by that.
As to the sand sound, that just doesn't sound like any noise I've heard from an a/c unit. where are you hearing this from the engine or the dash?

Only in the dash.

Sand sound could be the squire-cage starting to go, also debris could have gotten down in the cowl & worked its way back. If it increases with the speed of the fan, you know where to look.

you might try removing the blower fan and make sure there's no leaves or mouse nests in your ductwork.
I believe it removes from inside the spare tire compartment, but I've never done it.

the sand noise is probably just freon squirting through the orifice under pressure

if you don;t find any critters livin in the manifold there, check and be sure that the drain is not plugged, you can get water condensation in there and if deep enough will hit the fan cage and make a ruckus.