General Maintenance & Repairs - Cooling issue...HELP

It's been forever since i've had a problem with my trans am. They have a way of catching up with you... I've got an 01 ws6

I noticed today on my way to work , in the 112 deg heat in az, with my a/c on, that all of a sudden my temp gauge ran max hot. So i pulled over and let it cool down for a few minutes. I got back in, and got back out on the highway. Here's where it gets weird. The temp gauge ran hot again, until i turned my a/c on, then it would fluctuate between normal operating temp and rise. I told this to a guy i work with, and he said that since i have dual fans, the main fan for cooling the radiator might be shot or something, and that the engine cooled down, or somewhat cooled down because the a/c fan kicked on. So, does this sound right? And if so, what are the remedies for this problem? Fuse/relay? fan motor?

When you run on the highway, the fans should not come on.....even in 112*F heat. I guess if you were doing 90mph for 15 minutes with the a/c on things could start to get hot.

You probably have a t-stat that is sticking closed, then popping open.

Your friend is wrong about the fans......our cars....both fans ALWAYS run together, and they ALWAYS run in either LOW or HIGH together. They don't run separately. Fans should only run during city driving or stop and go when the air flow over the lower front air dam isn;t sufficient to handle the job.

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Hey, also....your a/c condensor is most certainly due for an exterior cleaning. It must be removed to do it right. Have an a/c shop capture your freon (134), remove the radiator and condensor......then clean the exterior. A radiator shop can do it for you too. Then put it all back and go get your freon put back in.

Just as maintenance clean the condensor........but I think your t-stat is sticking. Its really the only way to have fast, large changes in temperatures.

BUT.....you might never have gotten hot and your coolant temp sensor is on its way out.
So next time you run hot as hell....pull over immediately and pop the hood, if your temp is really 250-260*F, there is absolutely no way you'll be able to put your hand on top of your intake and keep it there. If you can.....you're not really getting hot.....

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When you turn your a/c on it turns your fans on high speed to account for the extra airflow requirements. Perhaps your fans arent working on low speed. When your engine temp gets to a certain point they should also switch to high. Maybe a problem with the fan switch on the engine controlled side but not on the a/c controlled side? Would be wierd but I have seen and heard some crazy shit about these cars electrical systems. And like LS6427 said, it could possibly be a malfunctioning thermostat. But since turning on the a/c makes the temp drop, I think it is most likely something with the fan not switching to high speed with increasing motor temp. Could blast the a/c 24/7 and hope for nice warm winters. lol. Check your fan relays in the underhood fuse box and make sure they are installed securely and maybe even hit them up with a meter to make sure they arent in need of replacement.