Hi!! I have a '95 SL SOHC, about 168,000. I have this issue with my car heating up when it's warm and I am driving in town. If I turn the air on hot, then I can keep it from going in the red. I started noticing it last fall, but coming into winter, I didn't have any problems with it. I think it's the radiator, but I'm not sure and don't want to go buy one for $150 if it's something else obvious that I'm missing. I checked the radiator hose when the engine was warm, and it was also warm, so I assume my thermostat is working. But when I checked the radiator itself, the top seemed warm, but the bottom was flat out cold. Is it supposed to be like that??


I also had the check engine light flash on just once a couple weeks ago, so I checked it and got a code 26. I'm not sure if it is at all related to the heating issue, but I did swap the relay for the coolant fan around with the A/C control relay, thinking that maybe the relay was bad, but I didn't notice any differences.


One last thing to mention, I changed the engine coolant temperature sensor last fall. That wouldn't have anything to do with it, right? I believe I was having heating issues even before I changed the sensor.


If you think there is anything else it could be other than the radiator, please let me know. Thanks!!!
Edited by: sw2cam

 

That could be the reason the fan isn't turning on. Did you use an OEM sensor? Did you replace the correct one? What is the condition of the connector that plugs into the ECST?

 

That could be the reason the fan isn't turning on. Did you use an OEM sensor? Did you replace the correct one? What is the condition of the connector that plugs into the ECST?[/QUOTE]
I used a NIEHOFF brand ECTS. My car was having idling problems, so that's why I went for the ECTS. I forgot to mention that I did replace the the connector, which was part of the problem. The only thing I can think of that could have went wrong with the ECTS I used was it didn't have the orange sealant on the threads, so I used teflon tape. I can't remember if I wrapped the taped counter-clockwise though, so it would stay seal it shut while I screwed it in. I assume an OEM sensor is a different brand, should I have used it? I think I will check the ECTS and see if it's leaking. And I might let my car warm up to see if the fan actually does turn on. Edited by: sw2cam

 

Just wanted to let you know... I replaced the radiator yesterday, only to find that wasn't my problem, although the old one was pretty dirty. So I went on to the next option, my cooling fan. It ended up being the problem. I jumped it with the battery and couldn't get it to even spin, so I replaced the motor and I'm good to go. [img]smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]
Interesting note in case you're ever wondering if your fan is working: turn your air conditioner on, it's supposed to automatically trip your fan on (you can usually hear it if you're stopped).

 

Yep. Doing that and swapping the fan relay with the horn relay is the first thing to do.