2004 Saturn Ion Problems

If it is heating up in stop and go traffic, one possibility is the engine fans aren’t coming on when they should. Or they may come on, but don’t spin fast enough. They usually only come on if stop and go traffic or when the AC is on. I’ve had a similar problem on my Corolla three different times, once it was a wire became disconnected that powered the radiator fan, the other two times the coolant temp switch that turns the radiator fan on had gone south.

You hear a click and notice warm air coming from the AC vents? hmm … well, it might be an engine-saving technique. The computer may automatically turn on the passenger compartment heater and blower to cool the engine if it thinks the engine may be overheating.

One frugal idea you could try on a flyer, replace the radiator cap. Sometimes they fail and the cooling system can’t hold the required pressure, which results in overheating.

In any event, this needs to be addressed diligently and quickly, otherwise you may be looking at expensive problems. If my car was doing this, I’d only drive it if the coolant gauge was at mid-point or below. If it went higher than that, and turning on the heater to max didn’t bring it down, I’d stop driving.