Hello all. Fingers crossed I didn't miss a post for my problem. Our 2012 has been overheating while idling during drive throughs or having to sit a little longer than than regular traffic lights. Maxima has a 6-8 year old radiator, and water pump. Fuses and relays seem to be ok and in order. But I did notice only one fan kicks on once the temp rises. Should both kick on simultaneously and would this likely be the culprit of the overheating? Or should I check/replaced thermostat first? Water pump? New radiator?

Radiator replacement is out of my ability and putting a new fan in may be as well. Depending on where thermostat is i may not be able to do that either.

Temps haven't pegged FULL HOT but will ride moderately past the regular operating. No leaks around hoses or pump. I'm baffled and would like to save money by ffixing myself, if possible.

Thanks for reading.

 

flush and replace the thermostat would be my first thought since its cheap and easy.

 

Have you cheeked to make sure you have enough radiator fluid in the radiator and overflow tank?

To test your radiator fans, turn on your AC. Both fans should kick on automatically.
With the car off, see if you can spin both rad fans manually or if one of them is binding up.
If your car is reading past the normal range and both fans aren't on, one fan may be bad. Replacing the fan assembly is quit easy to do.

Free and easy stuff to do:
Elevate the front of the car slightly. With the car cold, take off the radiator cap, start the car and burp the system of any trapped air for about 15 minutes

Cheap things to try:
Replace radiator cap. A bad cap will cause a car to overheat.

Start there and report back.