Hey guys, so I moved to Phoenix and I've noticed my car get real hot in traffic. Not completely overheating but real real hot. Is this a water pump/fan clutch issue? It cools down when I'm moving and air is getting through the rad.

 

It's okay for the temp to move slightly when you're sitting still but it shouldn't be any kind of significant movement. It's possible that your cooling system needs to be bled as well. The way you can check your clutch fan is with the car being cold, spin it with your hands. It should have resistance and not spin freely without you pushing it. If it just keeps going, it's likely the clutch is toast. To bleed your cooling system, start the car without the radiator filler cap and put the heat on full blast. It also helps if you have the front of the car elevated. Massage the lower radiator hose and the upper hose. You should see bubbles escaping the coolant in the rad filler hole. Replace any coolant lost and boom. It's also possible you were running a different kind of antifreeze being Nebraska versus what's ideal for Pheonix so it might not be bad idea to flush the system and make sure you're running what's best for the temps you'll see out there. 110+ easy.

 

Check your thermostat as well; my V8 was doing the same thing and was cured with a new OEM thermostat.

 

I got this problem in my cadillac, my water pump needs changing (I got like a 100 and some change k miles on a 91 eldo) also my fan dont start until I turn the AC or at least the vent on (because I was driving on an empty radiator for about 6 months LOL, filled it up fan just stopped working and over heat problems started).

Possible problems are water pump, fan or thermostat failures as BLK13X said. Water pump failure wont just make ur car overheat over night (correct me if im wrong), the fan and thermostat failures would.

Start the car and pop up the hood to see if the fan is turning, and do u hear a whining kind of sound when you drive and especially when you turn?

PS: my diagnoses is fully based on my cadillac experience, Ive only had a lex for a week and some change VS having to work on the eldo for over 3 years.