I have a 96 Saturn, SL1, 4 door... I bought it used two years ago and so far I had no problems until recently It started to overheat.
So i took it to my mechanic for a check up and he changed the radiator cap, thermostat and the sensor switch on the fan...it does not overheat to the max but it does not keep in cool temperature either. When driving in the city and highway, the gauge goes past the half mark (which in the past, it went just past the quarter mark) it bothers me because if I was to sit in traffic that gauge would not stay it would go to the red mark and heat up, my mechanic says that it's fine and it's suppose to do that, but I know my car and I know how far the temperature gauge should be... Any suggestions on what else to check for?
could it be the radiator or the water pump. should I get a pressure check on the cooling sysytem? Any suggestions is greately appreciated.Car overheating and not running like before?change your radiator fluidCar overheating and not running like before?Your mechanic should have pressure tested it before he replaced all those components. If they all check out and it's verifies you have no other issues (head gasket) it may be time for a new radiator. If you have been lax on your cooling system maintenance there could be debris in there.Car overheating and not running like before?Yes get that thing rechecked and don't ever take your car to a mechanic that tells you it's normal for the temp to go into the red.
You mentioned all the possibilities, it could also be the radiator is partially clogged. I had that with two saturns. Don't know why but they seem to get that way.
Get some references on a reliable place to take it. Sounds like you already given that guy too much of your moeny for nothing.Car overheating and not running like before?Yes, it could be the radiator or many other things, but first have your mechanic scan the vehicles computer and verify that the temperature gauge is reading correct and also check if the cooling fans are coming on when requested.
If the computer reading meets the manufactures specs then the gauge or sensor is bad, if is does not then it is possible that the radiator is clogged up.Car overheating and not running like before?you probably have nothing to worry about so long as when the temp gauge gets to the middle it stops and goes no further. your vehicle may have come with a 190 degree thermostat and the mechanic put in a 210 degree...which is ok, but obviously the temp gauge will go up further than it used to. if the gauge is fluctuating or keeps rising, check the coolant level when the vehicle is cooled down and make sure that is is full.Car overheating and not running like before?You have a partially plugged up radiator. Have it checked and see if I am not right. I went through the same thing with a Ford Ranger and the Dealership replaced the thermostat, radiator cap, water pump, fan impeller, etc. Finally they pulled the six month old radiator and had it repaired and the problem went away. I sued and got back $700.00 in un needed repairs.Car overheating and not running like before?the first (and cheapest ) thing to try is replace thermostat (again) just because it is a new one does not mean that its goodCar overheating and not running like before?mechanicCar overheating and not running like before?An 11 year old radiator is pretty old, Changes are yours is pretty clogged and scaled up. A new one doesn't cost too much.
