Advice on overheating when A/C is turned on?

[gsx20g]

I'm having some issues with my 97 gsx running hot when I turn the a/c on. It is fine until I turn the a/c on then the temp goes up. When I turn off the a/c the temp stays up. I've checked the a/c fan to make sure it was kicking in with the a/c and it is. I've driven over a hundred miles without the a/c on and the temp is fine the whole time, but as soon as I turn the a/c on it starts to climb and stays elevated even after I turn the a/c off. Any advice on troubleshooting this problem would be greatly appreciated!

 

[blue1]

Can you give us some temps! what you call high and ok

 

[gsx20g]

I don't have specific temp numbers. I am going by the stock temp gauge in the car. When it goes up the needle goes up to just below the hash marks at the top of the gauge. Normally the needle stays at the base of the temp symbol in the middle of the gauge. At least this is where it's been for the last couple of years since I installed my intercooler.

 

[Syndicate13]

Do you have a logger of some sort? The stock temp guage is useless. Mine reads the same at 196 as it does at 226. The problem you have is airflow. I'm willing to bet that you're running hotter than normal without the AC as well. Follow this http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200575 and it will help.

 

[babyviper]

I was about to tell you to get rid of that dam A/C until I saw where you were located.

 

[spoolamatic]

Does the fan run when ever the temp is high after you turn of the AC ?
Not sure on 2Gs but on 1Gs both fans will come on when the AC is first turned on and after a minute or so they will switch to a low speed
there after and go back to high speed when the temp sensor in the radiator calls for more cooling .As I have seen the fans quit when they went to low speed .Might drain some water out and take off the upper hose and look inside the rad. and see if it's all cruuded up also .Good luck

 

[gsx20g]

No, I don't have a logger of any kind. I didn't think I had enough done to the car to justify spending that money yet. The radiator looks good but I haven't checked to see if the fans stay on after turning the a/c off. I realize the stock gauges aren't accurate by any means but it has never done this before so it caught my eye. I do have upgraded fans with ducting because I was worried about the airflow with the frontmount, but I installed that about two years ago and hadn't had a problem like this come up before. Could this be related to the thermostat at all and what does my a/c refrigerant have to do with the car heating up (sorry if that is a stupid question). Thanks for the help guys!

 

[babyviper]

I would say turn the a/c on and then look under the hood to see if the fans are on and if they aren't that is ###### most of your problem and anther thing that happens alot with dsm's is the coolant temp sensor for the gauge goes bad. it only costs 8 dollars so I would replace it and the same with the coolant temp sensor for the ecu would be good to replace while your at it for some security.

 

[Syndicate13]

First of all, get a logger. Even on a stock car it's nice to be able to see what's going on. A bad thermostat could have something to do with it. Follow that link I gave you, it will help.