MajeSStic_

Hello everyone, I'm new to the ls1tech forums and ls1's in general. I just recently bought a 99' camaro ss, 6 speed etc. car has been performing flawlessly since I've owned it (apart from the stupid skip shift and a failing alternator) but the low coolant temp light stays on all the time. Car hasn't over heated, usually runs around 205-210 degrees. And there's coolant in the radiator/reservoir. According to the dip stick its past the full line.. Is it just a bad sensor or something else? Thanks.

Bird Lightning 2.0

I'd say it's a bad sensor. I changed the sensor on my low mile car after I bought it. It sounds like it's somewhat common for these sensors to act up.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Yes, coolant level sensors are a common issue, in fact GM discontinued this item on the 2002 models. What seems to happen is that poorly maintained cooling systems (infrequently flushed coolant) develop slime/gunk that seems to cause issues with the sensor. You can just disconnect it if you don't want to buy a new one. It seems that some of the aftermarket sensors are even more likely to act up than the originals, in some cases.

As long as the radiator is full and the dipstick for the overflow bottle shows the level to be within operating range, I wouldn't worry about this at all.

kgrantkey

I have a Buick that the sensor went out on. It never lost coolant ( as long as the intake gaskets were in proper order) and never ran hot.

It's the 2nd sensor of that type to go out. Defferent vehicles, but same set up.

Square and plugs into the top of the radiator. They can be quite expensive compared to temp sensors which must be in working order.

Firebrian

I first got this warning light 2 years ago. Drained a quart or two of coolant to expose the sensor. It didn't look gunked up. The sensor tip wasn't really fouled. But I thoroughly cleaned everything up and lightly sanded the sensor tip to remove all oxidation/films. Never had a problem since. The only "difficult" thing in this whole process was getting that square rectangular spring clamp back into the inner seat. Be gentle with the spring clamp as it bends easily and will deform if you're too rough with it. I don't know if GM would even sell one separately. I'd have just bought a new sensor assembly if they were $25 or less....but they up were up over $50 from GM which was absurd. Having this sensor "slide out" on you while driving would be a %$#%&! It seemed to me that the slight friction between the sensor rubber seals applied much more force than the weak spring clamp did.

Pickup a $20 jumper for the skip shift. Takes a couple minutes to install under the car. Nothing is left exposed and it can be removed just as quickly. If the harness plug has never been apart it may take a little bit of force to initially pull the 2 plugs apart. I still have the 1-4 skip and it doesn't bother me any. And if you drive spirited, it shouldn't come into play very often.

MajeSStic_

Yeah, ill probably just leave it be for now.. I might pull it out and try cleaning it later on down the road. I got in it today and the light stayed off the whole time i drove it. Strange.

MajeSStic_

Thanks everyone for the quick replies! Ill be posting a lot here down the road as i am going to be doing a head/cam swap and a couple other things eventually. Mostly just some mild bolt on stuff since its going to be my daily driver for a while.

345LSX

Make sure that the retaining clip is on properly after you change/clean the sensor too....I didn't secure mine like I thought I did and it came out while I was driving, got a napa sensor and it worked for like 2 days before the light started to show.

MajeSStic_

Will do. Where is the sensor located?

727

They're not discontinued . They go in the cylinder head . p# 12608814

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The part number you posted is for a coolant TEMP sensor, not a coolant LEVEL sensor. Coolant level sensors don't go in the cylinder head, coolant level is measured at the radiator not inside the engine.

And yes, the level sensors were in fact discontinued by 2002. My '02 Z28 didn't come with a level sensor in the radiator or anywhere else, not sure if the '01s had them or not.

727

Looks like the 98-01 LS1's use a 19299321 on the radiator.

Elthesh

iTrader: (1)

I believe what is being said is that GM stopped using them by 2002. You can still buy them new if you need a replacement. I was going to buy one when I replaced my radiator but just decided to clean mine off when reinstalling it. Worked fine before and after. As far as I can tell, they generally do not go bad as in fail, they just get coated in gunk that causes the sensor to think that the level is too low. Cleaning them off usually fixes the issue although I haven't had any issue with them in 99s that I've owned.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Yes, this is correct. By "discontinued", I meant that they were no longer factory issued on these cars by the 2002 model year. The item is still available as a replacement part for the earlier models that have a provision for such.