Hey all, I was sitting in the parking lot today at school and I looked down at my temp guage and it was 3/4 of the way to the right. My car was sitting for only 10-15 minutes, idling with the A/C running. It has never overheated like this before.
Another thing: When I am driving around the city, my A/C has a habit of not cooling very well. When I am on the highway, it cools just fine. What could it be?? Help! 
You may be due for a coolant change and an A/C recharge.
the overheating thing could be a number of different problems
first check your fluid and overflow resevoir
then check to see if the fan kicks on its the one on the passenger side
also check for leaks
if all checks out try changing the thermostat
when cars get older so do the ac systems
so when your car idles it doesnt blow air as cold as when your on the highway because your not turnig 3k plus rpms
ok…here we go…
…to N FUL FX:
- How would you change the coolant? (I am stupid when it comes to cars…)
- How much does an a/c recharge run? I know it is the old type of freon but is it worth it??
…to relentlessg2:
- I checked the fluid level in the resevoir and it was half way b/t max and min… what does this mean??
- I turned the a/c on twice… first time it ran both fans, the second time it ran only the pass. side… what does that mean? :uhoh:
- So far, I am unable to find a leak…
- Where/how much are thermostats?
- ok, thanks on the a/c info
Thanks again for all the help!!
sorry for the belated reply
been outta town on business
the fluid in your resivoir i recommend u fil to the max line
the passenger side fan only comes on when the engine gets hot
if u let it idle long enough it will come on eventually
the driver side fan is the a/c fan
i dont remember exactly how much a thermostat costs but its relatively inexpensive
no more than 40 bucks at the parts store
let me know if i can help with anything else
over heatin problem also!!! help!!!
i dont mean to steal the thread but i also have a over heating problem.
when i start mah car all is good, i let it warm up a bit. Then when i start drivin then the temp gauge climbs past normal sometimes. Then ill come to a stop at the lite and it stays. Then when i start drivin again it goes to normal. Its like its got a mind of its own! I dun know wut is wrong with it. I had cams put in recently, could those affect it? they were fine tuned though. Sometimes mah car lags when i try to start it to.
Also try the radiator cap. If it ain’t holding pressure, your car will over heat and boil at a lower temp. Awhile back mine started boiling over into the overflow tank and the fans wouldn’t run. If the cap is bad the coolant will boil at a lower temp, and before the temp is hit for the fan to kick in. A new radiator cap was all it took.