2003 TL (base)
No recent repairs and it was fine until today.
Per info I found searching I tried turning the key to position 2 (but not starting car) and turning on the a/c set to 60 degrees, and only the condenser fan came on.
It is fine on the freeway with the a/c on, it's when it's on and I am sitting still the temp gauge goes up and up.
What does that mean I need to look at? Thanks in advance.

 

Update. I just tried an experiment. I sat in park with the a/c off and held the RPM at 2500 and no problems.
Then I turned the a/c on and let it idle. No problem.
With a/c on, I held it to 2500 rpm and the needle went up slowly, but when it got past the halfway point, it went up quickly. I shut off the a/c, left it running, and popped the hood and BOTH fans were on.
In the 10 months I have owned the car the temp gauge needle has barely budged no matter what. I am at a loss here.

 

Have the cooling system pressure checked.

Perhaps your rad is getting gunked up or is a bit low in coolant ?
When was the coolant last replaced ? Maybe try a new T-stat and rad cap.

 

Thanks for the response.
It had the coolant replaced 10k miles ago and there have been no external leaks. I'll try the radiator cap first.

 

Both fans should come on as soon as the ac compressor engages. It sounds like they are both working, but not coming on as soon as they should.

 

Thanks for the post. I was watching the radiator fan and I noticed it was spinning noticeably slower than the condenser fan. It wasn't what I would call slow, but the condenser fan spins like it's on meth. That doesn't seem right.
Oh, and the coolant level is fine and a new cap didn't help (but I figured it was time anyway).
Isn't it the TL-S that the two speed fan motors while the Base is one speed?

 

It sounds like the water pump is not pushing at full pressure that's why the temps are jumping are low speed and with A/C higher engine load. I would start by flushing the system and installing a new thermostat, and pressure check the cap. if you are still having trouble its water pump time. When was the timing belt done last should of had a new water pump then.

 

remove the radiator cap, let car idle until fan kicks on, top off radiator fluid if need it. This method will also air out your system and will pin point where is your other problem is, if any.

 

I will not be happy if it is the water pump. It was replaced along with the timing belt 10k miles ago.
Thanks for the help everyone.

 

I hope its something simple, let us know how it turns out

 

Took the car to my mechanic today. Sure enough it is the radiator fan motor. I have one on order already.
Thanks for the help.

 

Glad your getting it straitened out

 

Thanks. I had him find the problem and I'll fix it myself when the fan assembly shows up.

 

That will save you some $$$ and its not that hard of a job.

 

I had the same issue with mine. It will definitely cause the car to overheat when stopped very fast, especially here in Texas. I picked up a new motor for about 50 bucks and the job was very easy. I believe it took about 20 minutes or so.

 

New fan assembly is in and it is happy again. $50 with free shipping. I'll post the site later when I can.

 

B.TL that's awesome good deal on the fan , glad you back on the road!

 

Here is the site

www.1AAuto.com

No, I have no affiliation with them in any way.

 

I had the same problem... I took it to my mechanic he had to flush the coolant, also the overflow bottle was full... long story short the thermostat and radiator cap had to be replaced

 

Also FYI, just to add..... the ECT thermo-sensors which read the coolant temp can be faulty, or if the coolant has an air pocket within... it can fake out the sensors.