Hello,

I have a problem and I am not sure how to fix it. My temperature gauge climbs while A/C is running if I am going over about 50 mph. When I am driving slower then the fans kick in and it drops to normal but when I am on the highway and have the A/C running it just keeps climbing until I turn it off. When it is off my temperature gauge fluctuates around more to the high side.

Now my fans seem to be running fine and when I drop below 45mph they kick on like they should and then the gauge drops to a normal level. But when Idrive over 40-50 mph I never know what it is going to do.

Any help or advice would be great.

 

The PCM turns off the fans once the car reaches highway speed. The cooling is now done by the air rammed into the radiator, make sure that the air dam under the radiator is in place. Also make sure you have a thermostat in place, otherwise the coolant will be flowing too fast through the radiator to get rid of the heat

 

One thing to keep in mind, although it is unlikely, if you have an auto trans it may have a trans cooler and that probably runs off the radiator . I would check the trans fluid level just to be sure.

 

There is a transmission cooler element INSIDE the radiator.

When your A/C is on, the fans should always be on, regardless of speed. Without air flowing over the condenser, the high side pressure would climb to a level that would render the entire system useless. Also, keep in mind that the condenser is packed right next to the radiator, and that underhood temperatures will be higher with the A/C running because of the heat transfer occuring.

 

My thanks to usarmyrangrs for his bit of sarcasm. OK, the cooler is INSIDE the radiator. Just like every other forum, I guess there are only a few you who know anything at all. So I'll bow out of this forum and go it alone.

 

Before you begin to call anyone anything, take a step back from the monitor and re read what was posted. You stated that the vehicle has a transmission cooler. I merely added to that statement, saying the cooler is within the radiator itself. Seeing that you have a total of 7 posts, I'm willing to bet you've never seen my other posts. I do not know it all, as I'm continually learning and helping others both on and offline. You're welcome to do what you wish, but I will say that you will most likely not find another Camaro forum that is as helpful as this. There are a good handful of very skilled and experienced people who enjoy helping anyone.

--USArmyRangrs

 

I guess I misinterpreted the way it was stated. Please accept my apology


Skye

 

Ok,

So I tried some of the things you guys said. I check before I made this post to make sure the air dam was in place, but I check it again. I check the trans fluid level which seemed to be fine, did it three times while the car was running, once a few mintues after it started up, once after I drove it around some, and then again when I got home seems to be fine. Now I do have a Trans Cooling kit on the car.

I wanted to get some clarity on what you mean by thermostat in place? Are we talking about the thermostate down by the waterpump, and can it be out of place? Or just not working? Would there be a way to test that?



Sorry what I mean in the orange is that it has gotten that far and then I was like **** and turned the A/C off and then it drops back down into normal range. Sorry about the picture I was rushing to get this posted.

Thanks for any help
Sean

 

Mine usually runs pretty high when AC is on here in Texas and it's 100 degrees out. The 3.8L engines run pretty hot and 235 degrees is not unusual under some conditions. I guess it depends on the outside temp and how long you stay at 40 or so MPH. Also, I don;t trust factory guages. I put some AutoMeter pillar guages in. Much more accurate. What was the typical temp before you noticed it getting hot? Not sure about the thermostat in place, someone else posted that. I had mine checked at the GM dealer when I first got my Camaro becasue I thought it was running too hot. If the guage needle moves around it might be the guage itself. But AC compressors do increase the engine temp considerably when it's hot out.

 

Be sure the fans are even coming on. Turn the A/C on at idle and observe the cooling fans. They should be ON. As Pete stated, make sure the lower air intake dam is indeed in place and in tact.