yet another coolant LEVEL sensor problem
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Teching In
Joined: Mar 2008
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yet another coolant LEVEL sensor problem so im having a problem with the sensor that i cant figure out. i am aware that the sensor is not needed so ill probably end up unplugging it, but i want to see if anyone has any ideas.
so ive replaced my coolant level sensor 3 times in the past year, replaced the wiring harness too. the 2nd time the sensor went bad was right after i hit a harsh bump in the road and after that it wouldnt work. the 3rd time i replaced it the thing just came on after 15 minutes for no apparent reason. when you unplug the wire the light goes off as it should and i always make sure the radiator is full. my question is if anyone has any ideas as to why these things keep breaking on me. is there something wrong thats causing the light to come on or are these things really just that crappy?
thanks
so ive replaced my coolant level sensor 3 times in the past year, replaced the wiring harness too. the 2nd time the sensor went bad was right after i hit a harsh bump in the road and after that it wouldnt work. the 3rd time i replaced it the thing just came on after 15 minutes for no apparent reason. when you unplug the wire the light goes off as it should and i always make sure the radiator is full. my question is if anyone has any ideas as to why these things keep breaking on me. is there something wrong thats causing the light to come on or are these things really just that crappy?
thanks
Have you flushed your coolant system lately? Do they sensor elements look dirty when they come out or are they clean brass? Maybe the sensors are getting contaminated by something circulating in the coolant?
mine was caused by a leaking PS cooler. It leaked PS fluid into the coolant and caused the low coolant sensor to turn on the light. Replaced the cooler, flushed both the coolant and PS, cleaned the sensor, and no more problem.
do a search for details on symptoms/tests to verify if thats your problem.
do a search for details on symptoms/tests to verify if thats your problem.
If one has a PS cooler leak, one would typically notice a dramatic drop off in the PS fluid level (with no visible leak) and alien slime congregating on the coolant dipstick.
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Verdad Gallardo What does your coolant dipstick look like? Is it clean? If so - its probably not it. 1/3" every 2 weeks sounds like a pretty fast leak to me. (Unless you have visable leakage at the external hoses.)
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2008
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well now im pretty much 100% sure my PS cooler is leaking. the other day i was driving the car and my power steering suddenly went out. pulled over and checked it and found that it was almost empty, then i checked the coolant and it looked brown. sound like the PS cooler to you guys?
well now im pretty much 100% sure my PS cooler is leaking. the other day i was driving the car and my power steering suddenly went out. pulled over and checked it and found that it was almost empty, then i checked the coolant and it looked brown. sound like the PS cooler to you guys?
the cooler is not in the radiator, its in the upper hose/pipe.
the quick easy test is to get a free loaner radiator pressure tester from autozone, pressurize the cooling system and look for bubbles in the PS resevoir. it will be obvious. replace the cooler pipe and flush PS and cooling systems.
the quick easy test is to get a free loaner radiator pressure tester from autozone, pressurize the cooling system and look for bubbles in the PS resevoir. it will be obvious. replace the cooler pipe and flush PS and cooling systems.
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From: 415 Northern CA
the cooler is not in the radiator, its in the upper hose/pipe.
the quick easy test is to get a free loaner radiator pressure tester from autozone, pressurize the cooling system and look for bubbles in the PS resevoir. it will be obvious. replace the cooler pipe and flush PS and cooling systems.
the quick easy test is to get a free loaner radiator pressure tester from autozone, pressurize the cooling system and look for bubbles in the PS resevoir. it will be obvious. replace the cooler pipe and flush PS and cooling systems.
Thread Starter
Teching In
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yea it was definetly the PS cooler, and yea the dipstick for the coolant was quite slimey lookin. so today i just bypassed the PS cooler and then flushed the PS and cooling system until the fluids looked good. is that PS cooler really necessary or should i be ok with it bypassed?
my PS cooler leaked into the cooling system and caused the same problem you originally posted about - false coolant low light. replaced the cooler, flushed PS and coolant, cleaned coolant level sensor - no more problems.
yea it was definetly the PS cooler, and yea the dipstick for the coolant was quite slimey lookin. so today i just bypassed the PS cooler and then flushed the PS and cooling system until the fluids looked good. is that PS cooler really necessary or should i be ok with it bypassed?
I like all my stuff working - nothing rigged. why not just replace the cooler/pipe?
you will be okay with it bypassed. but you'll have to plug the lines at the bottom of the cooler otherwise coolant will drip out (because of the hole in it). I installed a air/liquid cooler for my ps fluid because i thought that I would do some autoX in the future.