Heat Wave: Maximum Ambient Operating Temperature for a Vehicle?

My 3/4 ton Suburban’s coolant rose above 210 degrees for the first time while idling with the AC on with an ambient temp of 104. It cooled back to 210 when I got back to speed. No problems.

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The highest temperature ever recorded in Canada yesterday, 47.9°C in Lytton, BC.

It is hot as balls here guys, not many people have A/C and it isn't like 0% humidity. The main floor of my house was 36°C yesterday and 32.5° at 7:30 AM this morning.
Be safe, I hope this doesn’t lead to serious forest fires. I’m in Toronto was 40 with humidity today but we have AC.
 
However, I personally believe hot weather does wear things out faster for older vehicles. Engine bay temperatures are hotter, so old plastic is more prone to fatigue, rubber dries out faster, and grease can separate. That's not to say an old car will break down in 90-degree weather, But I would pay attention to hoses, plastic...
For the most part, ditching the stupid plastic engine cover will allow the electrical connectors and vacuum hoses a longer lifespan. Save it and put it back on if you sell the car.
 
With such a massive heat wave coming in, that got me thinking. For an average automobile, what's typically the max safe ambient that most vehicles are designed for? At what coolant temp should one start to be concerned?

I have an OBD monitor and noticed that today when it was +35C out with an idling engine and A/C blasting, that my coolant got up to 100C! It was interesting to see that within a few short minutes coming to a stop, that the temperature creeps up pretty quickly (even though you would likely not notice it because the typical coolant gauge on the instrument panel does not move much). That definitely seemed a bit worry-some as I'm used to seeing 85 - 90C under most circumstances and it's expected to get even hotter this week. In
Curious to see how everyone else's vehicles is dealing with the heat and if you've ever encountered any problems.
My BMW runs 113c coolant in normal driving. On track, the electric water pump engages high-speed mode and tries to lower the temperature to 80c. On track I managed to get oil to 143c. DME in the car will engage lipm mode than, and for 128c coolant temperature.
SO how I managed to get the temperature to 143c? Altitude! Ambient temperature is not detrimental to cooling. Altitude is killer. Ever wonder why cars overheat on mountain passes? Bcs. that is where cooling systems must be at top shape, and if there is weakness? game over.
So, 35c? Do not worry. Going over a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies? That is when things can get hairy, regardless of ambient temperature.
 
Going to say my Toyota's seem to consistently be around 183F and the Kia 3.5 has been showing around 193F, according to Innova OBD tool, but don't quote me for my memory fades. Interesting observation on the engine cover, I've opted out of it too.
 
My understanding is it would be at least 120F, but beyond that where are you going to find a normal place to test it? Most civilian electronics are designed for 40C, and will start failing above 60C and will absolutely start failing at 70C. Car still running above that is likely the last of your worry.
 
Chris, that 122°F is just crazy heat. That's hotter then when I was in Death Valley many yrs ago, which was 117°F and felt like being inside an oven.
 
With such a massive heat wave coming in, that got me thinking. For an average automobile, what's typically the max safe ambient that most vehicles are designed for? At what coolant temp should one start to be concerned?

I have an OBD monitor and noticed that today when it was +35C out with an idling engine and A/C blasting, that my coolant got up to 100C! It was interesting to see that within a few short minutes coming to a stop, that the temperature creeps up pretty quickly (even though you would likely not notice it because the typical coolant gauge on the instrument panel does not move much). That definitely seemed a bit worry-some as I'm used to seeing 85 - 90C under most circumstances and it's expected to get even hotter this week. In
Curious to see how everyone else's vehicles is dealing with the heat and if you've ever encountered any problems.
Welcome to a normal day in Malaysia.
 
My BMW runs 113c coolant in normal driving. On track, the electric water pump engages high-speed mode and tries to lower the temperature to 80c. On track I managed to get oil to 143c. DME in the car will engage lipm mode than, and for 128c coolant temperature.
SO how I managed to get the temperature to 143c? Altitude! Ambient temperature is not detrimental to cooling. Altitude is killer. Ever wonder why cars overheat on mountain passes? Bcs. that is where cooling systems must be at top shape, and if there is weakness? game over.
So, 35c? Do not worry. Going over a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies? That is when things can get hairy, regardless of ambient temperature.

Also the issue with cooling the brakes....
 
We had that last year, all of a sudden one morning the whole sky was red and the weather cooled off, all the bird went to sleep like in an eclipse, it makes you realize what nuclear winter could feel like.
 
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