I had my air condition on setting 4 (non circulation) and I was in stop and go traffic near an ez-pass. My RPMs were dipping below 100. I noticed my thermostat gauge past red and I immediately turned off the ac and put the car in neutral. The temperature when down slowly. Lucky my car didn’t shut off, smoke, or get fucked up that I know of.

Is this normal for a car to over heat in stop and go traffic with ac on?

BTW
My coolant got flushed and thermostat change at 86k. My coolant reservoir was topped off. I use the orange Prestone coolant.

 

rad fans spinning?

 

this usually happens when a rad hose goes....or it happened to me anyways...check-em, replace as necessary. sometimes those hairline cracks will do it....sucks when you can't see which hose is gone...goodluck!

 

Check that the A/C condenser fan is working.

 

Could be the thermostat, check the pressure in your coolant, flush the coolant if needed, check to make sure the fans are working properly