Low Coolant light

[seanstang]

I have a 1997 Skylark with the 2.4 liter engine. The low coolant light came on but the car has plenty of coolant in the overflow tank where you put the coolant in. Usually when the light would come on I would check the level and fill and it and the light would turn off after 50 or so miles but this time it won't. The engine is not overheating and the heater is working. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I need to check. The car has about 99,000 miles on it.

 

[Topless64Skylark]

Do you slowly lose any coolant? Your post seems to indicate this, if so the thermostat may be sticking in a partially closed position. How about any antifreeze smell? Even if the thermostat is sticking, the engine may not show any outward sign of overheating. Also, if it has never been changed, with 99,000 miles, that's the first thing I would suspect. If you continue to drive with this condition, you risk some rather expensive engine repairs, it may cause other coolant leaks or internal engine damage. Replacing thermostat and probably engine coolant would be cheap if done now. GM uses a special coolant formula, "Dex-cool" in your car. It's a bit more expensive initially, but should last 100,000 miles or 5 years, right where your car is at now. Hope this helps

 

[BillK]

Sean,
The sensor itself could very well be bad. You need to get a service manual and see how the sensor actually works. If it is a "switch" or a "resistor" type sensor, there should be readings given so you can check it.

 

[seanstang]

Thanks everybody for the advise. I took it to the mechanic in my neighborhood to get it checked out. His findings were that the low coolant sensor was faulty due to high resistance. We replaced the sensor and some hoses while we were at it and then flushed the system and all is as good as new. Thanks once again for everybodys advice.