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Dropped my son off at school, got 1 mile from school and noticed A/C was not working. Looked at thermostat and realized it was at half-way point.
I got car up to speed and a/c came back on.
Stopped for red light, it went back up and as I was waiting for the light, thermostat gauge went to the red.
Decided to turn around and go back to switch cars with husband for the day. Got up to speed again, gauge dropped all the way down to 1/4 and a/c came back on.
I talked to a few friends who think it might be the actual thermostat....HOW and WHERE do I find it to check it?
Car starts and runs just fine otherwise. Has approximately 95,000 miles.
Hello. I have the same car and experienced the same issue especially in traffic. My father in law is a mechanic and he changed the belt and ordered a new fan( don't know what it is called). The car works fine now. The cost of everything was about 240 for materials. If you want to see if you are having the same issue that I had what I did was run the engine on at home and lifted the hood. Turned on the a/c and just looked for anything to stop working after 15 seconds or so which was the approx time that I would notice problems at a light or in traffic. To the left of the engine there was a fan and belt that would stop turning after 15 secs or so. My father in law said that that fan was no good. So far so good. I hope this helps.
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hard starting, cranking 3 times to start, engine lite finally came on--- 1. shows problem with coil--changed 2. problem with O2 in block--- changed. 3. did a fuel pressure check on original pump--- replaced with new fuel pump 3000 miles later had same problems did a fuel pump pressure test again and it would not hold pressure. upon removing 3000 mile pump it was hot to the touch so it must have burnt out. just installed another new one (12000 miles/ 1 year warantee)
How old is the battery? Have it load tested at a car parts store. It sounds like an old or bad battery, Do you remember where it was bought? Some new batteries fail right away, take it back they will replace it.
sounds like your coolant level dropped enough to empty the heater core and your engine was not getting coolant up to the cylinder head, check the coolant immediatly and fill then idle in the driveway till fully warm and you should notice the leak
Potentially bad news; when ours started getting quirky, delaying before engaging, it finally lost reverse too.
~$4000 from a Saturn shop or $3000 for independent. After good referrals, we used the independent and the tranny held for 27,000 miles until the engine blew at 56,700 miles; it dropped a rod cap.
I 'sold' it to my son for $1.
The worst car I have ever owned and my first US car in 35 years- it is also my LAST.
Doesn't sound as though you have overheating issues.
With a 196 thermostat, a vehicle is designed to run at 200 to 210,and you were putting it under a load on your trip.
I don't know why you would think about changing anything,unless you were doing some trouble shooting, and a test you were performing, indicated a failed component.
I would change the thermostat, as preventative maintainance every five years, and watch for the fans to be working after a trip of five miles or so.
Your A/C may have been switched off, by the various computer systems, to prevent overheating, or it may be starting to have it's own issues.
There are 4 things it could be! First your radiator or cooling fan is not turning on, this could be from a fuse. 2nd your thermostat needs replaced about 3-7 dollars for part. 3rd your water pump needs replace..about 150 to 300 dollars..If you can run for more then 10-15 miles then it shouldn't be your water pump. 4th your low on anti-freeze and need to add some into radiator!
Good Luck!
Hope this helps
PS to check fluid level under hood of car, wait until car is cooled to remove cap. And if you were low, you might want to check underneath your car to see if your leaking anywhere...
I am realizing that the cooling fan in this car is very important. It has two in case you didn't notice. The driver side fan motor is bad in mine and the only result is poor air conditioner performance in stop and go traffic. It's fine at high speeds. I would think the thermostat is likely the culprit in your case, but if the fans are not working at all, you should get those replaced. The motors may be bad in both, which could definitely cause overheating. I've been researching prices and you should be able to get the parts for less than $100 each and installation is just a couple of bolts on each assembly.
um, how? I know nothing about cars other than adding fluids such as gas, oil, coolant and washer. Oh and how to take it in to change the oil.
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