Hate to jump backwards in this thread, but I messed with the cooling motor and found it is installed
with crimp connectors and the wire colors are blue and black (I think) from the wiring harness, I tried jumping it at the relay which didn't work. I do have voltage to the relay. I did not see where there was a diode in the line, Jumping 12v to the Blue wire didn't make the fan move, or jump a big spark (like connected to a ground) I am thinking I will remove the fan and replace it after checking out the wires. I figure if I take it out to check it, I'll just replace it and be done with that part. I did try a new relay with no change. It got up to 43 degrees today. running the a/c din't seem to make any difference (max fan and cooling setting) The compressor didn't come on either so it might be low on refrigerant (?) Temps this week will be 24 degrees and colder so I should be fine. lows at night will be in the single digits. --coolant level has stayed full since it was changed, have not had to add any.

 

working all day today, and it was warm out.. 34 degrees, and driving down the highway at 65, coolant temp stayed around 192.... how can it stay higher when the outside temp is colder? outside temp is like 7 degrees, and coolant temp is 199, outside temp is 30+ degrees and coolant temp is 192?? same road, same speed???

 

Ice on the AC ?

 

Had a discussion with a friend who has a ss panel HHR and has had it for a few years, he told me the temps I have been seeing it typical with what he has experienced, and also rarely sees his cooling fan come on, and his A/C does not come on when it is colder outside. All confirms what I have been seeing. Since I already purchased a cooling fan, I will most likely install it just to be safe but it appears my vehicle is acting normal. A load off my mind!

He also mentioned to replace the rear springs as they tend to break, but then he tends to load his SS down quite often. He had some suggestions as to where to mount my transceiver which I was toying with.

My thanks with all who have helped and put up with my scattered brain (at times)

 

What do you mean "A/C does not come on when it is colder outside" It is not supposed to unless you turn it on or use the defroster or recirc. The fan control on SS is different from LT/LS.
On a LT/LS the fan should activate at about 217F and cool down to 180F or when the AC compressor is on. SS has a PWM fan (variable between 0% and 97%), it should never get above 220F
Springs do wear out, replace the shocks about every 100,000; they don't show wear as leaking like old.

 

Wht can I say!! when the outside temp is below 25 degrees or so, the A/C compressor does not engage. Above 37 or so, it kicks right on. doesn't matter if it is on defrost, or max a/c. I have tried this numerous times with the same results. My friend verified that his SS panel does the same thing. When the A/C compressor is on, my radiator cooling fan does not run. I understand that it should, it does on my other vehicles so I think there is an issue. Temp doesn't get much above around 2-1-204 and when it gets that high, it drops quickly even if it is sitting parked. Fan still does not turn on. Maybe this is just a Minnesota thing, I don't know. Usually once it gets warmed up, it doesn't get below 190 on the information coolant readout. seems to like to be 194-196 when driving.

 

If the AC doesn't run when on defrost something is broken.

 

I never thought about it, but it might make sense it for the system to be programmed to not turn on the a/c compressor with the defrost on under certain conditions. If the dew point of air hitting the evaporator coils is below freezing, depending on the temperature of the coils, you’ll get frost or nothing.

 

Low coolant causes not just high but erratic coolant temperatures. Low coolant seems to have been addressed.

There seems to be two remaining things about coolant temperature going on here: high temp at speed and high temp at idle. They are probably unrelated.

High temp at speed will have nothing to do with a cooling fan. But load, a restricted exhaust system will definitely cause overheating that goes away very quickly at idle or even with reduced load (less headwind, speed, or upslope.) The original stainless muffler can look fine on the outside (and often due, even 15 years old) but can be a restrictive mess inside. So can typical replacement mufflers. Also, a kink in the the exhaust will do this.

My OCD self went back and read all the comments, and I couldn’t find where Oldblue mentioned the AC Delco 131-158 thermostat. Oldblue ALWAYS mentions the AC Delco 131-158 thermostat. Overheating under load could be a thermostat that is opening only a little. It is plausible that an inferior thermostat that saw 240 due to low coolant was damaged and no longer fully opens at 190.

For the idle/stoplight high temp, I agree with looking at the cooling fan first. On hated Facebook, where I haunt a few HHR groups, there was a thread about cooling fan problems. Imaging a fan motor that runs fine but a few blades are missing. Or all of them. Both really happened, apparently.

Oldblue hasn’t mention the coolant temp sensor yet, either.

 

Post #31 , I think you missed it!