AN MD82 CAPT RPTS; ON CLB AT FL260; HE HAD A L CSD WARNING. WITH MAINT APPROVAL; THE DEFERRED APU WAS OPERATED. L CSD DISCONNECTED.

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DURING CLBOUT DEPARTING ZZZ; MASTER CAUTION LIGHT FLICKERED BRIEFLY SEVERAL TIMES (NEVER ON STEADY) NOTED THE 'L CSD OIL PRESSURE LOW' FLICKERED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH MASTER CAUTION LIGHT. CHKED L CSD TEMP GAUGE OUTLET TEMP 'PEGGED' HIGH (180+ DEGS) -- WELL ABOVE RED LINE. QRH PROC SAID TO DISCONNECT CSD. CAPT ELECTED TO CONTINUE OPS BECAUSE APU WAS PLACARDED INOP AND THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED SINGLE GENERATOR OPS WITH OVCST WX CONDITIONS AT ZZZ. INFORMED ZZZ CTR OF SIT AND CLRED TO HOLD OVER ZZZ1 OR AT FL260. IN THE MEANTIME; CONTACTED ZZZ DISPATCH DESK. SHE AGREED WITH OUR DECISION TO RETURN TO ZZZ AND SHE ALSO PHONE PATCHED US WITH MAINT CTLR. MAINT CTLR CLRED US TO START PLACARDED APU. APU WORKED FINE. BY THIS TIME CSD TEMP HAD DECREASED TO CAUTION RANGE AND CONTINUED INTO NORMAL OPS RANGE. WITH MAINT CTLR CONCURRENCE; WE DISCONNECTED L CSD PER QRH PROCS. SINCE THERE WAS A HISTORY OF APU PROBS; THE DECISION TO RETURN TO ZZZ WAS RECONFIRMED; EVEN THOUGH WE NOW HAD 2 OPERATING GENERATORS.