MidFat;
Being a fourth generation Texan, I can tell you... NO ONE gets use to this level of heat.. I even remember "a few years back" (like the late '60's/early '70's) when MOST automobiles did NOT even have Air Conditioning.. Hell, neither did most houses!! (one was damned fortunate if one had a "window unit" in the bedroom.. "Central Heat/Air" was for the "rich folks"!!)
Needless to say, I still live in Texas and we are NOT experiencing the temperatures the west coast and Pacific Northwest are.. BUT y'all ARE experiencing temps like WE do during the normal "hot period" of our summers (between May and October!!)
It is NOT uncommon for us to experience engine temps climbing to "O, Ma Gawd" territory in July & August!! OR during the DFW Metroplex rush-hour traffic (when the office commuters sit and stare at their cellphones while the signal light changes several times!!!)
Generally speaking, our initial "common cure" to climbing engine temps is to simply put the vehicle into neutral then raise the engine RPMs to a "fast idle".. sometimes up to 2500 rpm. If your vehicle is either fairly new and/or your cooling system is in very good condition, this action will bring your engine temps down pretty quick... and the family doesn't have to suffer the "blast furnace" temps "Ol Sol" is inflicting! Bottom Line, Ya Done Okay! Do note, however, the "engine temp" WILL continue to rise even tho you turned-off the engine!! It's called "Heat Soak"!
I might note, I was a mechanic in a Datsun dealership in the late '60's early '70's. The commonly fitted "add-on" air conditioning units (under dash units) came with a "heavy duty" radiator.. I recall it was simply a thicker radiator (an extra row of cooling tubes).. This "allowed" the owner to drive in-traffic with their A/C on and NOT over-heat the engine.. This ALSO necessitated changing the thermostat twice a year.. a 160* for summer and a 180* or 190* for winter.. Given a LOT of "modern" cars, now-a-days, run "normal temps" of 190*+ year round, I imagine there are not many semi-annual t-stat changes anymore!!
A number of years ago, I replaced my '70 Datsun's original radiator with an all aluminum job.. believing it would "help" keep the engine temps down.. Total Waste of (then) $300!! I reinstalled the original radiator, changed T-Stats as I had always done, everything was "back to normal"!!
I'll note that when my FJ40 was my "daily driver" (and used as a "farm truck" from 1986-1990), the 1967 429cid Cadillac Engine fitted with the original 1967 Cadillac Radiator (and the A/C Condenser in front of it!).. I could let the LandCruiser "sit and idle" for "a while" (like when loading a 20" flatbed with 60lb bales of hay) on an average 100+ degree day (in Texas) and the engine temp would never exceed 210*. I put it in "Drive", take-off "normally" and before it's shifted into "top" gear, the engine temp would drop back down below 180*!
Also, in 1980 when the USA Hockey Team beat the Russians in the "The Miracle On Ice", The USA Team Captain, Mike Eruzione [Boston, Mass] is my first cousin... That was the ONLY hockey game I ever watched and Mike never played another game of hockey.
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