Sunfire overheating, not low on coolant

Is the radiator/cooling fan cutting in ?

check coolant level and check radiator fan operation when then car is idling in park. if your fans aren't coming on you have a problem with the fan switch or circuit.

natural for engine temp to rise in Traffic - Until Themostat opens ) cooling fan sensor kicks on fan . But Antifreeze is not just a Cold weather item . Coolant is Absolutely Necessary for Hot Days . You must be full to recovery bottle setting of cold when checked prior to start up . Coolant for your make / model is Reddish - Pink colour and should have a reading of -25 thats negative 25 degrees the Lower the Better even - 50 .. Why ?? - 50 is 50 %% antifreeze / Coolant Concentrate MIX Gives Hot weather cooling Ability or very cold weather starting / winter HEAT .

For car running hot and overheating issues, I suggest to you go through this help links. Click this link below and go through the troubleshooting procedure to take care of the problems: ----Car runs hot? http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/car-runs-hot-in-traffic.html
-----------All types of car overheating problems and troubleshooting?

http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2011/11/all-types-of-car-overheating-problems.html
Car freeze overnight and started overheating while driving?http://technoanswers.blogspot.com/2012/01/car-freeze-overnight-and-started.html-----------Engine Overheats and heater blowing cold?

http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/engine-overheats-and-heater-blowing.html

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Car overheats and Air blows hot at idle?
http://howtobyme.blogspot.com/2011/11/car-overheats-and-air-blows-hot-at-idle.html
--------overheating? http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/buick-century-overheating.html
----------Car engine Overheats and transmission starts slipping?http://schematicsdiagram.blogspot.com/2011/12/car-engine-overheats-and-transmission.html
----------This details will help.Thanks.

CAR OVERHEATING FIRST CHECK FOR LOW COOLANT IN THE RADIATOR COOLANT OVERFLOW JUG.IF COOLANT LEVEL IN OVERFLOW JUG LOW REFILL ADD COOLANT BACK TO THE FULL COLD MARK.PUT RADAITOR CAP ON COOLANT OVERFLOW JUG START ENGINE LET IT IDLE UNTIL IT OPERATING TEMPERATURE.MAKE SURE TOP RADIATOR HOSE GETTING HOT WHILE ENGINE WARM UP.IF TOP RADIATOR HOSE DONT GET HOT WHILE ENGINE IDLING YOUR THERMOSTAT COULD BE STUCK CLOSE CAUSING CAR TO OVERHEAT.IF TOP HOSE IS GETTING HOT.CHECK FOR COOLANT LEAKS CHECK TOP RADIATOR HOSE AND BOTTOM RADIATOR HOSE FOR LEAKS.CHECK FOR LEAKS AT THE RADIATOR CORES AND PLASTIC SIDE CONTAINERS.IF ALL IS GOOD ENGINE OVERHEATING WHILE IN A LONG TRAFFIC LINE, COOLANT FANS NOT COMING ON.COULD HAVE FAULTY ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR OR BLOWN COOLING FAN FUSE OR RELAY.COULD HAVE PCM FAULT.MAKE COOLING FAN ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AND WIRING NOT DAMAGE OR BROKEN.

Sounds like your cooling fans on the radiator are not working. The fans are activated by a thermol switch on the engine or radiator reading the coolant temperature and an A/C switch. When the coolant is too hot the fans should activate cooling the system down. And, when the A/C is on the fans should also activate in order to cool the condensate so the A/C would work.

When you are driving, the movement of the vehicle throught he air is providing enough air flow to keep things cool and functional.

I would check the radiator fan fuse or fuses first. If those are OK I would try to run the fans with 12 volts and a ground that I supply just to see if the fan motor(s) actually run when powered. If the fan don't run when powered then the fans are bad and will need to be replaced. If the fans do run when you power them manually, then something is not allowing the power to activate, like a relay, control unit, or wiring.

It will take a little diagnostics, but it is not too difficult to chase it down.

YOU NEED BLEED COOLANT SYSTEM.CHECK COOLANT LEVEL IN RADIATOR.ADD MORE DEXCOOL UNTIL COOLANT LEVEL IS CLOSE TO RADIATOR SPOUT.CRANK ENGINE LET IDLE UNTIL TOP RADIATOR HOSE GET HOT.WATCH TEMPERATURE GAUGE.IF TEMPERATURE GAUGE START RISING TO HOT ZONE.TURN OFF ENGINE.LET COOL DOWN.USE LARGE RAG SLOWLY OPEN RADIATOR CAP A LITTLE AT A TIME UNTIL ALL PRESSURE RELIEVED.REMOVE RADIATOR CAP.ADD MORE COOLANT.CRANK CAR AGAIN LET IDLE UNTIL TOP RADIATOR GET HOT.KEEP EYE ON TEMP.GAUGE ALSO.WHEN TEMP.GAUGE STOP CLIMBING.YOUR COOLANT SYSTEM BLED.WHEN DONE LET CAR SET A WHILE CHECK COOLANT LEVEL.ALSO FIRST THING IN THE MORNING CHECK COOLANT LEVEL AGAIN.AND BESURE ADD COOLANT IN THE OVERFLOW JUG TO THE COLD MARK.DONT OVER FILL THE COOLANT RESERVOIR JUG.WORK SAFELY DONT GET SCALDED.

What are you going by to say it's overheating , temp gauge ? Have you test to see what the actual temp. is > Hook - up a scan tool ,what's the PCM - engine computer seeing for engine temp. ? 223 degress the PCM should turn on the cooling fan . You could buy a Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer With Laser Targeting at harbor freight ! Radiator very hot ????? What is the right temp .
Non Contact Infrared Thermometer With Laser Targeting

Could be a bad temp gauge . Is the coolant surging inside the cooling system ? Does it have a radiator cap ? Have you replaced it ?

At idling speed an engine does build up a lot of heat and the cooling fan will kick in. In slow moving traffic or traffic jams the temperature gauge can touch the red - particularly on hot days. The reason it cools down when you start moving is because of the air flow through the radiator.

Presumably there are no leaks from the cooling system otherwise you would have mentioned it. In normal circumstances the fan will not be running as you are driving at speed, as the air-flow through the radiator is sufficient to cool things. The fan only kicks in to get rid of excess heat - and this usually occurs at idling speed or after you have parked the car.

If the fan is running all the time as you drive, this points to either a fault in the fan switch, or the car is running too hot. presumably in normal driving the fan isn't running and the temperature gauge reads normal?

It is common - in stationary traffic many cars overheat (particularly big engined models) try to stall and 'cut out'. Restarting can be difficult until the engine cools down.

Is your car overheating in normal driving conditions or just at idle speed? Overheating in normal driving conditions can be caused by things like a failing water pump, blocked radiator, collapsed hose, faulty thermostat or, in the worst case scenario, cylinder head problems.

Overheating at idling speed is 'common'. Check your coolant level. If your car isn't using/losing coolant then there probably is no major problem. You can flush out the cooling system and refill with new coolant - and also check your radiator. Are the cooling fins crumbling with age? Or maybe they're partly clogged with insects and debris from the road? A blast with a hosepipe wil sort that out ..

The question is how much does your car overheat in normal driving? If it doesn't .. it appears as though you have nothing to worry about as such. Most cars have 2 speed fans... the 2nd faster stage kicks in at some point dependant on engine temperature. Perfectly normal.

Check the auxiliary cooling fan for operation. As the engine temp rises, it should kick on to bring the temp down. U may have a bad motor on the fan, or more likely a bad fan switch.