I was on my way home today when I noticed the low coolant light was on. I pulled over to the side of the road and checked the level. Sure enough, only about 2 inches on that thing were wet....not dripping, just had a different color. So I stopped at a Auto Parts store and got some Prestone Dexcool prefill mix, so I didn't have to monkey around with mixing water. I added some, and after the first new measurement, the wet line seemed to have gone past the FULL HOT mark already. So I figured I was good to go and start the engine. The light comes, and goes off....I drive off, and maybe a block down the street the light comes on again. I stop, and check the coolant level again. Now mind you, that stuff seems kinda hard to check because I have like droplets on the front side where it says full hot and full cold, but almost nothing on the back side. So I keep wiping it dry and putting it back in there, and now it seems like its wet to almost the end of the fat part of the dipstick, but yet the low coolant light still comes on. If I turn the dipstick around, it looks mostly dry??? I am confused!

How the hell do you read that thing properly??

If the front of it is accurate, and I am almost at the end of the fat part of the stick...did I overfill the car with coolant, if so...what should I do about it?

Grr....little idiot lights can drive a man crazy.

Manny

 

If you put too much in it will overflow when it gets hot. Coolant level sensors going bad on these cars is not uncommon.

 

Overflow as in...run all over the street or where's it gonna go?

I checked the radiator level, it was full.

 

Maybe youve got an air pocket

 

If you've been driving it and it hasn't already happened, it probably won't. But yes, if you fill the overflow tank too much when it's cold it will overflow onto the street when it gets hot.

 

Ah...self limiting system...in a way....lol. Well, it's sitting in the garage right now I am gonna let it idle till it's warm. Where is gonna come out?

 

the uh.. overflow. lol

 

Did you check the overflow tank as well?

 

Yeah, I checked the radiator and the overflow tank. I left my house to go to a party, and the light would like dimly come on...then go off again. Then it stayed off until about 5 miles down the road when it came on again. I guess the sensor is shot. On the way back, the light stayed on the entire time. I am gonna check both the radiator and overflow tank again tomorrow when the car is cold.

Uhm...the overflow is the thingy on the passenger side where the battery is where it says "coolant only" and has a dipstick in the cap, right?

 

lol, i thought that was the blinker fluid

 

That must be canadian humor....everyone knows that's the emergency brake fluid!