Okay, first a little lesson in GM temp gauges.

The temp gauge is a little bit of a "dummy gauge" in that the needle will stay in the middle although the temp could change plus or minus 20-25 degrees. They do this because the temp will go up and down when the fans turn on and they don't want people thinking something is wrong with the car when they would see that. The radiator cooling fan ( or fans ) are set to turn on around 215F-220F and turn off around 200F-205F and you car could run as cool as 195F if you are on the highway in cool weather with plenty of airflow for cooling. In the old days ( late 1980's-early1990's ) the temp gauge would show the real temp and you would see it movee up when stopped in traffic and then watch it move down when the fan turned on.

Now to get back to your first question, if you see the gauge move up I would say your "real" engine temp has gone from the normal 195F-220F and is around 225F or above. As it is 118F outside I can see why that would happen as you are really stressing your cooling system but it it shouldn't hurt anything unless you see the temp gauge hit close to the 260F mark. You mention this car was shipped from Texas, I wonder if the export model would have come with a bigger radiator to handle those extreme temps you are seeing? Do you know if you have the HD towing package? ( look for code V92 in glove box listing ) If you don't have code V92 you may want to install a external tranny cooler or look into upgrading to the HD radiator that comes with the V92 towing package.

You mention your A/C turns off, does that happen when the temp gauge climbs? If you are in traffic and the temp gets too hot im may shut off the A/C but I would think that wouldn't happen unless you are getting close to the 260F.

 

MA Acadia: thank you for the explanation about the temp gauge.

My 2012 Acadia has the tow package, only because of the intense summer heat we have in Las Vegas. I have seen the gauge move from the normal position only twice this summer, both times while sitting in heavy traffic.

The first time, it was 114 degrees and The needle rose two hash marks, but the AC remained on. I had been in stop and go traffic for an extended time. Then, this past week, when it was 109 degrees, the needle rose to just slightly below the first hash mark.

However, when driving at speed on the expressways around town, the needle stays at dead center regardless of the OAT (outside air temperature). Again thanks!

 

Thanks for the reply.

First off: this is not an export model. This car has been in an accident and was shipped to Baghdad. They basically cant ship vehicles for no reason without finding a way to mark them as "salvage" ... even though the hit was "light".

the carfax report shows:

Accident reported
Involving front or side impact
It hit a motor vehicle
Minor left front damage reported
Minor front damage reported
Front airbag deployed

it was then declared: TOTAL LOSS VEHICLE
and SALVAGE TITLE/CERTIFICATE ISSUED

this all just a formality. salvaging it is an excuse to ship it. a car with only 22,000 miles has a long life still.
yes it was hit. but it wasnt that much of a hit. the vehicle has been repaired and looks and operates fine.

The airbag light does annoy me but over here i could care less about it. i'll find a way someday to bypass it.

Now back to the subject at hand. you're saying the car has to be reaching 260F (126c) for the AC to turn off. thats pretty scary. looking under the car i can see both fans in the engine both on however there is no fan on the front radiator for the AC.
althgouh i have heard a lot of GMCs here in iraq overheat due to the heat.. not just acadia's ...

i do plan on installing a second fan but not right now... in the meantime if there are any other tips / things i can do ...

on a side note i do notice the "inside air circulation button" always goes on an off.

 

My 2012 Acadia has the tow package, only because of the intense summer heat we have in Las Vegas. I have seen the gauge move from the normal position only twice this summer, both times while sitting in heavy traffic.

The first time, it was 114 degrees and The needle rose two hash marks, but the AC remained on. I had been in stop and go traffic for an extended time. Then, this past week, when it was 109 degrees, the needle rose to just slightly below the first hash mark.

However, when driving at speed on the expressways around town, the needle stays at dead center regardless of the OAT (outside air temperature). Again thanks!

I also got the towing package just because I live in Florida and it is hot 9 months out of the year, I have yet to tow anything with it and doubt I ever will. I have never seen my temp gauge go above the middle but then again we almost never get past 96 degrees here, I can't imagine being 114 or 118 degress. ( yes I know, it's a dry heat but that is still hot )

 

are you guys referencing the tow button on top of the gear next to the rear windshield wiper button?

should i be using it?

 

Now back to the subject at hand. you're saying the car has to be reaching 260F (126c) for the AC to turn off. thats pretty scary. looking under the car i can see both fans in the engine both on however there is no fan on the front radiator for the AC.
althgouh i have heard a lot of GMCs here in iraq overheat due to the heat.. not just acadia's ...

i do plan on installing a second fan but not right now... in the meantime if there are any other tips / things i can do ...

on a side note i do notice the "inside air circulation button" always goes on an off.

I am not sure the exact temp when the A/C would turn off but I would think it is around 250F. You still didn't mention if your car has the V92 towing option, look for the round 8 port electrical plug by the back near the trailer hitch ( if you have one ) or look at the option codes in the glove box for V92. The other thing I would worry about is if you do have the V92 option was the radiator replaced in the accident and someone put a non HD radiator in.

As for your A/C, are you saying the whole sytem turns off or just the recirc button? The recirc button will go on and off as needed if you have the auto temp control in your truck.

 

are you guys referencing the tow button on top of the gear next to the rear windshield wiper button?

should i be using it?

If you have the tow button you "should" have the factory tow option then. The only thing the tow button does is change your tanny shift points, makes your directional light blink 6 times instead of 3 when you tap it for a lane change and keeps the alternator in constant charge mode but I don't think it will help with keeping the car cooler.

 

As for your A/C, are you saying the whole sytem turns off or just the recirc button? The recirc button will go on and off as needed if you have the auto temp control in your truck.

ya ... regularly the recirc button goes on and off routinely. however sometimes the AC would go off sometimes for a few seconds then comes back on and sometimes for no more than 15seconds.

i still blame it on temperature. its literally hell here ...

i am not sure how i would recognize if the radiator was replaced or not. i guess i'd need a pro to see that... or is there some easy way for me to see?

at least our weather is somewhat cooling down hopefully into the 30s soon. still in the high 44's right now. (Celsius). hasn't happened yet.

remember the part where i said most gmc's that come into iraq end up heating up? almost all vehicles here get an extra huge fan installed on the radiator especially the AC one.
i assume this model being the very standard (no bells and whistles on mine) maybe lacking some of the HD luxuries you reference. carfax says its a SL. the vin number decipher thing says SLE. i am not even sure.