About 3 weeks ago I noticed my '96 Camry was spilling coolant out of the overflow container after medium+ length trips. After seeing this a few times I topped off the coolant and kept an eye on it, but I didn't notice anymore overflow. Temp gauge was normal until yesterday it overheated. I checked the radiator and of course the coolant was pretty low. After topping it off and a test run the overflow container was empty and steaming a little bit. The temp gauge has been near normal but fluctuating hotter than usual. The fan seems to be working normally also. Any ideas where I should start? Thanks.

Check your water pump. Check for obstructions in the radiator. Check for leaks in the hoses.

If you have never replaced the radiator in this car, it has most likely out lived it's useful life. They tend to crack at the top and bottom tanks. Replace T-stat and hoses with the job.

When you refill the new radiator, refill it with a 50/50 mixture of Toyota-recommended coolant and distilled water.

That should get me started, thanks a lot. The radiator was replaced about 2 years ago and the hoses are in good shape. I forgot to mention that the temp gauge will read higher at idle and drop after acceleration. Maybe the fan? Im not the current driver of the car but last I knew the fan was OK. How can I test the fan, like should it kick on after start up and idling for a while or would I have to drive it again?

This link should help you test the operation of the radiator fan:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...ml#post1642158