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Overheating

18 years ago

I have a 97 olds Aurora that I will be selling and need to fix the overheating problem. When it starts to rise in temperature I flip on the air and the temp usually goes down. My brother in law thought of replacing the thermostat but it seems like there could be a number of things it could be. Does anyone have any thoughts?

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Comments (8)

cowboyind
18 years ago
Turning on the a/c triggers the electric cooling fan or fans. If turning on the a/c alone is enough to cool the car off, your problem is simply that the fan is not turning on in response to the coolant temperature. There is probably a bad switch or sensor, and it should not be a big deal to fix.
jbata
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks for the info. Do you happen to know where that switch or sensor is on this car (97 olds aurora). Everything seems to be hidden and hard to find on this car. I still cant find where they put the battery.
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earthworm
18 years ago
Ah - the evils of the modern car !
We have three from the 90s, to do anything, a man needs to remove things (covers, panels, air cleaner boxes, air hoses, brackets, the battery,etc)...And one must have the radio code before pulling the battery !
Also needed is a decent repair manual, mine, at best, is so-so, still cost $35 !

Your thermostat MAY be due for replacement, but first, as the Cowboy-from-Indiana states, assure that the engine cooling fan is functioning..
I'd think the sensor would be on the radiator...
cowboyind
18 years ago
The coolant thermostat (the one that opens and closes to start or stop the flow of coolant through the radiator) is probably okay because the engine does cool off properly when the electric fan runs. Your problem appears to be that the fan is not coming on in response to the engine temperature, but is only coming on when the a/c is on.

The fan may be controlled by the coolant temperature sensor which feeds information to the car's computer, but I'm not sure, and I also don't know where it is on this model. Someone with the right equipment can read what is coming from the car's coolant temperature sensor and will then have a better idea of what's going on. I think you'd be wiser to have someone do that than to just start replacing things, because the sensor itself may be okay but a relay or switch could be bad.
fastkidtoyz
15 years ago
I have a 98 aurora. I have replaced the relays, thermostat, hoses, and new radiator. I have flushed the system. The fans come on as they should. What else is going on to make it overheat?
jemdandy
15 years ago
You will need a repair manual to locate the temperature sensor. Some makes use two sensors: one to turn on the fan, and another for the temperature gage.

I'd expect the sensor to be near the thermostat housing.
patletrick_gmail_com
13 years ago
my 98 aurora 4.0 is over heating. i put in a new rad, changed out the therm. fans only run while ac is on but still over heats car runs like a dream but over heats
bucky
13 years ago
jbeta: If you're still looking for the battery in your Aurora, have a look under the back seat. There she be!!
Cheers: Bucky

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