1999 Oldsmobile Aurora Overheating Problems

I have a 1999 Olds Aurora with a 4.00 250HP V-8 engine. I just bought it and notice that the temperature gauge normally runs at 200 degrees. When I sit in traffic, it goes up about a quarter of an inch. When I get moving again it drops down. Should I be concerned now? Will it overheat?”

It is doesn’t boil over, it isn’t overheating. Modern day cars are made to run hot, because the hotter an engine runs, the more efficient it is, the less it pollutes, and the better the gas mileage. But your cooling system is obviously starting to get weak somewhere. Check to make sure the cooling fans are coming on and repair any that aren’t working. If all of that is OK, and you’re not losing any coolant through leaks, then odds are your radiator is just getting old. Modern radiators are made of plastic and aluminum, and the aluminum corrodes internally and eventually loses the capacity to dissipate heat. You can’t really fix the stupid things, you just replace them when the car overheats and there are no leaks and the thermostat is OK. It’s often hard even for a mechanic to decide when to replace a radiator, unless it’s completely shot. Yours is probably just starting to wear. Just NEVER drive with the car in the H, because then coolant is boiling and that is a NO NO.