Low coolent light

[ern2112]

Hey fellas......quick question. I have my low coolent light coming on (sometimes)...but very very dim.......and then sometimes....not so dim.....but never fully lit up....and most the time...not on at all. The coolent level seems to be fine......any ideas on what is causing it? I assume the sending sends a ground or a ground lift to tell the computer what is happening.....is it going bye bye?


Thanks

[BNaylor]

Ernie, check the coolant level sensor located on tha passenger side of the radiator about 3 inches below the filler cap. Normally, if you remove and clean the sensor it will resolve the issue. If not it will need replacement. Good luck!

[ern2112]

Ahhhh....Bob to the rescue...thanks!! Hey.....while I have you.....think I am going to covert to Prestone and dump the Dexcool.....tired of the gelling. Any issues with this?

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by ern2112

Ahhhh....Bob to the rescue...thanks!! Hey.....while I have you.....think I am going to covert to Prestone and dump the Dexcool.....tired of the gelling. Any issues with this?

No Ernie, no problems. To date I have converted all 3 "W" bodies I own. I use the Prestone Extended Life in the yellow container. It is fully Dexcool compatible and based on the same Organic Acid Technology (OAT). And a hell of a lot cheaper. The coolant will be green in color. If there is any residual Dexcool after a flush mixing will not cause any problems. Goodluck!

BTW - Don't forget to bleed air out of cooling system after the flush and refill.

[ern2112]

Will do......and thanks agian Bob. Finally got some sunshine and some better temps up here......time to get to work!!

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by ern2112

Will do......and thanks agian Bob. Finally got some sunshine and some better temps up here......time to get to work!!

Not a problem and you are welcome Ernie. I guess all the good weather we are having in West Texas has moved your way. Sunday is a great day for auto work. I had a fun week putting new front struts on my wife's Regal LS this past week. PITA but well worth it. It took 1.5 hours per strut.

[ern2112]

Nice! Yep....you gotta have some time to do struts....I had someone put monroes on the front last year....the sensatracks seem to be a good bet....over the years, I have put them on several cars

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by ern2112

Nice! Yep....you gotta have some time to do struts....I had someone put monroes on the front last year....the sensatracks seem to be a good bet....over the years, I have put them on several cars

The Monroe Sensatracks are adequate but a little soft and cushy. The Monroe Reflex are better but more expensive. I went with KYB GR2s on my GTP. Need the stiffer ride. The ones you see in the pic are the Gabriel G-Force Ultras. $75.00 for a pair on EBay from a guy out of Wisconsin. Seems to work fine for me and might disspell some of the rumors you hear on the forum that Monroes and Gabriels are garbage.

[ern2112]

Not tried the Reflex....but will do on next change out. I havent replaced the rear yet...may just try them there first

[SNKPWR]

when my coolant was a little low (from moving the reservoir out of the way for a belt change and spilling some) i got a check engine light a few days later... had it scanned at AZ, and said it was just low coolant... so i guess i don't have a seperate Low Coolant light?

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by SNKPWR

when my coolant was a little low (from moving the reservoir out of the way for a belt change and spilling some) i got a check engine light a few days later... had it scanned at AZ, and said it was just low coolant... so i guess i don't have a seperate Low Coolant light?

All '97 - '03 Grand Prixs have a low coolant light or coolant warning light at the Instrument Panel. The output of the level sensor depicted below feeds the coolant light directly. The PCM has nothing to do with the low coolant light and there are no odb-ii DTC error codes specifically to trigger a low coolant light.

[SNKPWR]

Originally Posted by bnaylor3400

All '97 - '03 Grand Prixs have a low coolant light or coolant warning light at the Instrument Panel. The output of the level sensor depicted below feeds the coolant light directly. The PCM has nothing to do with the low coolant light and there are no odb-ii DTC error codes specifically to trigger a low coolant light.

so if there are no OBDII codes for low coolant, i wonder why the guy said it was a low coolant code when he scanned?

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by SNKPWR

so if there are no OBDII codes for low coolant, i wonder why the guy said it was a low coolant code when he scanned?

Wild guess, probably because the guy at AZ didn't know what he was talking about. I have the complete GM Mode 6 list of any possible generic or extended odb-ii DTC error codes that can be generated on a '97 up to '03 Grand Prix with the Series II 3800 NA and SC engines and I repeat there is no odb-ii DTC error code for low coolant. Also, there is no connection to the PCM module from the level sensor in the GM Grand Prix wiring diagrams.

They might have been referring the the engine coolant temperature sensor (ECT). Do you remember the error code?

[SNKPWR]

Originally Posted by bnaylor3400

Wild guess, probably because the guy at AZ didn't know what he was talking about. I have the complete GM Mode 6 list of any possible generic or extended odb-ii DTC error codes that can be generated on a '97 up to '03 Grand Prix with the Series II 3800 NA and SC engines and I repeat there is no odb-ii DTC error code for low coolant. Also, there is no connection to the PCM module from the level sensor in the GM Grand Prix wiring diagrams.

They might have been referring the the engine coolant temperature sensor (ECT). Do you remember the error code?

no he didn't show me the code or anything...usually they print out a little piece of paper w/ the error code and description...he just said maybe the coolant was low, and i remembered that i had spilled some, so it made sense...i bought some Dexcool, put some in, and he cleared the code...wish i'd gotten the code number from him...

[richtazz]

It's nice that they scan your codes for free, but always have them print them out. You can't always trust their "parts monkeys" to decipher the information correctly.