Quote:
Originally Posted by mikefocke
You have assured yourself that the fans are working that draw air over the radiators.
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^^^ This is the 1st place to start. ^^^
There are 2 instances when the fans should kick on - (1) when the temp gets too high, the fans kick on to cool it, or (2) when you kick in the AC. The fans kick on for #1 automatically when it gets hot and then kick off when it's cooled down. The fans kick on
immediately when you start your AC and stay on until you turn the AC off. There are separate switches in the fan for these operations and the switch for #1 has a tendency to die. In that case, your car can run hot in traffic b/c there's not enough air flow thru the radiator when you drive with the AC off.
1st way to check is to start your car and kick the AC on, then get out of the car with the engine & AC running to listen for the fans in the front. You should hear them blowing on both sides. If they're working, then you should not be getting a hot condition in traffic with the AC on, as the fans are working.
2nd test is to then turn the AC off and drive in traffic. Once the temp starts to go up, pull into a parking lot, leave the engine running, and see if you hear the fans running in front. If not, the switch for that side of the fans is broken. There are articles on how to fix it, which requires the front bumper to be removed, but you need to verify this is the problem first.