saturn 1991 sl2 overheating

I had this problem for a while now. First replaced the coolant temp senspr.
Checked the fan and it's working fine. As long as I was going over 50mph
the temp. stayed in the normal range but as soon as there was a lot of
stop and go traffic it would increase. Usually turning on the AC brought
it back down. Now I had the Thermostat replaced as well as a Radiator
flush. Still Temp. gauge is normally in the middle and rises if I am in
slow traffic or standing still. Turning on AC will not bring it down
anymore. What else could it be?

 

How many miles on this car? How much does the temperature increase?
Does it go to three-quarters on the gauge? Does it go past
three-quarters into the red, or have you let it do this? What actions
(if any) do you take when you're driving and the temp starts to go up
like you describe? How did you check the fan? Does the fan come on
when you turn on the AC?

OTOH, it is actually normal for the engine temperature to go up _some_
when you're in city traffic, as compared to highway driving. Two
reasons for this include a) you're not pushing volumes of air past the
radiator b) you're working the engine harder in stop/go traffic, ie at a
steady 65MPH you're probably holding somewhere around 3000RPMs (DOHC).
In city driving you're constantly going from ~1000 to 4500 (or so,
depending on MT or AT) under load.

-rj
98SL2

 

Unless it is in the RED, it is not overheating. It's normal for it to be
around 3/4 on a hot day. Also, check to see that your airdam is still under
the car. If it is missing, the car won't cool as well.

Lane [ l a n e @ p a i r . c o m ]

 

Turning on the A/C is supposed to turn on the radiator's fan, this
is what brings down the engine coolant temperature.
When you turn your A/C on does the fan start? If not it could be a
blown fuse, wiring problem, fan relay or fan motor problem.