1997 neon fan problem

Hello.
I have a 1997 Ply. Neon DOHC

At any given time (especially in slow or stand still traffic) my temp guage shows the coolant temp to rise way above normal, at times it even reaches the H mark. I then quickly shut the car off and wait for it to cool off.

This happens often and then everything returns to normal.
I observed that the fan has problems kicking in at the right temp. I can't make out if it may be a relay problem. Sometimes when I move the wires at the relay it turns on, but can a relay cause intermittent problems?

Also I changed a coolant temp sensor that was located on the top of the engine. Is there also something on the radiator itself that needs to be changed?

Very odd ... thanks for any help...Joe

a relay can cause intermitent problems. If you can afford it, i'd buy a new one and see if that corrects the problem. If you're brave, you can jump it out with a paper clip during a "not working" time and see if that makes the fan come on. (Unless you have a wiring diagram, you'd need to use a volt meter to see where to jump. you'll want to put a hot on the fan load, which will show up as a ground. hopefully you can look at where the wires feed in to get an idea.)

Of course, i think too if the thermostat were sticking and keeping water from flowing, the temp sensor wouldn't know it needs to come on. You can check that by seeing if the return to the radiator is hot.

I think that would cover all the possibilities (except a faulty fan motor)

Someone correct me if i'm wrong. hope that helps!