Questions and Answers
Hot Celica
Q. Dear Vince, I have a 1991 Toyota Celica L4-132 2164cc 2.2L DOHC (5S-FE). When the weather is warm (>80° F) the engine will warm up to boil when I drive it in heavy traffic but as soon as I speed up (>30 mph) it cools down to its normal operating temperature fairly quickly.
I had the thermostat replaced and the relay cleaned but I still have the same problem. Could there be something clogging the coolant path? Or is it something else with the electrics/electronics that I need to check?
Thank you in advance for looking into my question. I love my car and I will be lost without it so I want to eliminate this problem completely because I am risking to damage the engine it otherwise.
Thank you,
MonyA. This is not a hard problem for an experienced tech to trouble-shoot. It sounds as if your cooling fans are not working. At lower speeds the engine will tend to overheat yet at higher speeds there's adequate air flow to keep the engine at normal temperatures.
If you let the engine idle until the gauge gets a little above ½ way, the fans should come on. If they do not you have a problem. To test the fan circuit, turn the ignition on and unplug the fan sensor. If the fans now run, it's the sensor that's bad. To the best of memory the sensor is located directly on the thermostat housing. If the fans do not run with the sensor unplugged, you have a wiring or relay problem.
Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
