overheating

[oldvermonter]

i have a 1999 solara 2.2 engine.the other day after i shut car off noticed steam coming from under the hood. checked and everything was dry. started car and noticed that fans would come on for about 10 seconds shut off and restart over and over again but only for about 10 seconds each time . driving car on highway temp goes to 208 then drops to 198 don't want to do any damage so i decided to ask the experts there advice also what is highest temp it can go before you damage something mine has never gone past a tad above the half mark on gauge or 210 on really hot days

[Pauloil]

prolly need to do thermostat and temp sensor, reset adaptives by taking neg cable off and touching it to pos cable or just pushing on the brake pedal when cable off.

[Woodyg]

If you only start one thread per problem and create a detailed signature for your car you will get a better response.......

Changing an older t-stat is never a bad idea but I am not sure if that is your issue.........the fan works off of a temp sensor.....when you disconnect it it usually keeps the fan running all the time........I am not sure if you have an independent relay or not but take a look at whatever relay you have.....also I am not sure if you did this but make sure the coolant is topped off

[Woodyg]

haynes has a pretty good troubleshooting section in the manual........you should have a fan relay in the power distribution box and the temp sensor at the bottom of the rad....on most cars disconnecting that connection defaults the fan to be on all the time. I would do that for the short run so you don't over heat the car....