My 97 Toyota Camry runs hot when I turn on the A/C. What could be the problem?
Sure sound like the fan, when you turn on the AC there is a second fan that should run continuously when the AC is on. The main fan runs only as needed to control the temperature. Turning on the heater is a good way to cool of the engine, kind of uncomfortable on a hot day, but better that than overheating the car.
Based upon what info you have provided, the temperature gauge is doing its job.Once the engine has started the coolant temperature begins to rise,once the coolant temperature reaches the intensity required to open the thermostat, the thermostat will open, allowing coolant to flow to and through the radiator.When the temp gauge reads above normal the coolant temp has exceeded thermostat requirement, this could be due to a dirty & plugged AC condenser coil combined with a dirty & plugged radiator.Heat Transfer is the name of the game when temp gauge is reading hot, too little heat transfer and your engine will surely overheat.Possible easy repair, clean coils,maybe 2 hours,maybe thermostat replace, 1 hour. Fan can be costly and somewhat time consuming to remove and install.
