Saturn Repair: Coolant System, coolant temperature sensor, coolant system

Question
when I sit and idle for a period of time the car overheats. when I am driving it is fine, also My temperature gage quit working and the overheating indicator light will not work. I have a 1996 4 cylinder sedan with 190,000,00 miles it just keeps going and going. any thought are appreciated.

Answer
There are a few possibilities. One of them is that the coolant temperature sensor isn't working and thus isn't turning the fan on or that the fan itself is not working. I would start it up and see if it works or not. Turn the a/c on and it should work regardless of the engine temperature. If it doesn't, it could be the fuse, relay or fan. Check them in that order.