Recently I noticed when I run my AC or just try to run the climate control my car will overheat. There is a cylinder part that hoses go to from the A/C condenser near the rear of the engine above the back of the right valve cover (Valve cover with Oil Fill neck) that seems to be really getting hot and overheating. It's got copper tubing coming from it and connects to the A/C via that long rubber tube and after long trips my car has been overheating.
What is this part? It also has two wires coming from the top, if that helps. It's a very standard part, I just don't know the name of them and what the cause of my symptoms are if anybody can help.
that would be the Accumulator also known as the Receiver Dryer
That's not likely causing your car to overheat. Using your A/C is likely just putting more strain on the cooling system, making another problem become apparent. What you need to check depends on when the car is overheating.
If it's overheating at highway speed but is OK around town, check the radiator to make sure the fins are in good shape, and also make sure the A/C condenser out by the rad isn't plugged up with bugs, dirt, etc. Check that the black plastic chin spoiler thing is still there (the thing that people always wipe out with parking lot curbs). This is especially important with 87-88 Turbo Coupes (or any car with a TC front clip) because they get all their cooling air from below.
If it's OK on the highway but overheats at low speeds check your fan, whether electric or clutch type. If the fan is not working there will not be enough air flowing through the rad at low speeds, but at higher speeds the air will be forced through so it'll cool OK.
The most neglected part people tend to overlook is a fan clutch if you have a mechanical fan. It functions with thermal fluid that locks the fan at higher temperatures to engage the fan blade to spin with the water pump pulley.
If you have an electric fan, it should come on at a preset operating temperature with the engine running and will come on and stay on as long as the A/C is turned on.
When the A/C is operating the A/C condensor in front of the radiator needs the cooling fan running to dispurse heat.
If the A/C condenser is bad or if they A/C needs to be charged and you try and run the AC that will make the car overheat, right?
If the A/C condenser is bad it will simply leak (for the record, the condenser is out by the rad, the evaporator is the part inside the firewall). If it's plugged up with dead bugs so that air can't flow through it it would cause overheating simply because it would also block airflow through the radiator.
If low on freon it would simply not blow cold air.