Desert Driving, HOT: Suggestions

I live in the California desert. Yesterday it was 105 degrees; not even really hot for around here (I'm told it got up to 127 last year). So yesterday I drove my '90 Geo Metro down the freeway and the temp gauge got as CLOSE as it could to the red "Hot" part of the temp gauge without actually entering it. Got where I wanted and back OK, but things are going to get WORSE out here in the next few weeks, so what steps can I take to cool this puppy down. (Strangely enough, when I got OFF the freeway, she cooled down quickly, and almost to normal [ middle of the gauge ].)


Have already bought new coolant (old coolant loses its effectiveness, right?) Will drain the system and put in the new coolant.

How do I check the radiator fan (just turn the car on and watch it as the car gets warm?)


!!! ANYthing else I can check or do to put the odds in my favor? !!!

Thank you, people. //Christopher (408thRRD)

Sounds like a plugged radiator given that it heats up only when travelling at freeway speeds. You can check the fan by waiting for the car to warm up and then just watching but there will be good airflow at high speeds - the fan helps when you are not moving. You could try flushing the radiator but if it is badly plugged the best solution may be to change it.

A quick check to confirm this is to turn the heater on at full blast when this happens and see if the temp does come down. If it does it will prove that the heat is not being exchanged as quickly as it should. Also you can try cleaning the fins in case there is a lot of dirt inside the fins reducing the heat transfer.

There are aluminum radiators for pretty cheap available on Ebay. Also, try some "water wetter" It works wonders. Should be able to find it at any auto parts store.