95 grand am gt concerns

[gtgrandam]

i just bought a 95 grand am gt about a month ago. i like it for it being my first american car. i mostly drive civics and accords. neways. the check engine light comes on at anytime while driving. but if you park the car and turn it off and turn it right back on the light is off. and like i said sometimes comes on and sumtimes doesn't come on at all.

my other concern is the temperature gauge. it tends to change periodically. so i decide to do a radiator flush. the at the autoparts store said i only need one gallon of coolant. seemed fine to me because my other cars used just one.

i did the flush and filled it up with the coolant. after driving for about 5 min the low coolant light came on. i stopped somewhere and bought another gallon and put that in. and still after 2 gallons the light is still on. stopped at another store and asked how much actually is supposed to be in there. and the guy said 13.4 quarts. so basically over 3 gallons of coolant is needed. so i bought another gallon ( a total of 3). but my coolant is full!!!!! i can't add anymore and the light is still on.

please help.

[97GrAmGT]

I had a similar problem with my 97 gt. I replaced the heater core and refilled the system but the low coolant light stayed on. I checked it periodically just to make sure it was still full and just ignored the light. Finally after a few months it actually went out. I dont know if this is a recurring issue with other grand am owners or what causes it but as long as you know its full and dont mind seeing the light lit up, I'd just ignore it. Maybe it will go out in time. Just remember to keep checking the coolant level.

[skibum1111]

The float sticks in the overflow tank. Tap on the side of it with the handle of a screwdriver, just don't hit it hard enough to break the tank. Mine sticks whenever I have to do anything with the cooling system, and the only solution is to replace the tank. I didn't, I just keep tapping the tank until the light goes off.

[gmack221]

sometimes you get an air bubble around the sensor in the overflow tank, tap it, drive it and it will go away within a couple of days, just check the level before you drive it since the light isn't there as a safety.

you might not be able to put 3 gallons into it unless you drained the whole motor (pulled the thermostat ect...). what im saying is the motor might have been holding 1 of the 3 gallons, since it didn't get drained you only had to add 2 gallons.

take your grand am somewhere that can scan the codes on the computer to figure out why your check engine light keeps coming on. You will need someone that can scan an OBI (O B one) style car. after 97 they went to what they call an OBII (O B two) style used on all car types, like me you have the old style and can't just have autozone scan it for free. It could be as simple as needing to replace or tighten the gas cap, or it could be something going bad on the motor ... better to find out before it goes out and the car dies on you somewhere & you have a towing bill on top of getting it fixed. just my

by the way, glad to hear you switched over to the american car side ... but grand am's have been known for having issues, hope it doesn't persuade you to switch back to the dark side, lol

[gtgrandam]

well i took your advice i tapped on it with the end of a screwdriver and drove it around. n then i finally jus decided to unplug the damn sensor thats right there. i probably won't drive it again till friday when i get it checked. i don't know how u guys can drive aorund with the light on. it annoys the hell out of me, lol. but thank you all for your help it was greatly appreciated.

[blabhern]

I do the tapping thing and the light goes out every time. My daughter drives it and it has a coolant leak so as you can guess, I have to do this often. Luckily, she knows better than to drive it once the light comes on. At least she does that. Put coolant in? Are you kidding me, a 17 yr old? haha

[Infidel]

I had a similar problem with the coolant light. I ended up stranded on the side of the highway with a busted heater hose and once I got the problem solved and the rad refilled my light stayed on. I tried tapping the resevoir and that didn't fix it. I had to actually fish around with the screwdriver inside the resevoir and pop the bobber to the top. That was about 2 months ago and it hasn't come on since.