Low coolant sensor

[Wheels16]

My low coolant sensor is on all the time now. Was an intermittant problem. I have been told I have to remove the tank to clean it or replace it. How do I get to it? I want to replace the sensor. Can I remove it from underneath the car?

[LittleHoov]

I believe the sensor is on the overflow tank. At least on the 3.5 it is anyway, but you didnt mention what kind of car you had.

You should be able to loosen the overflow tank, and then locate the sensor, its the only wiring going to the overflow tank. I would make a strong guess that you can turn the tank in such a way as to not have to drain it when you remove the sensor.

Im pretty sure thats the coolant sensor anyway, I dont know what else it would be haha.

[Wheels16]

Thanks L.H. I got under the car and can't even see the recovery bottle because of air dam and associated plastic. I need to jack it up and maybe I can fit my hand up in there. Thanks again.

[LittleHoov]

What engine do you have? If you have the 3.5 the recovery bottle is on the left hand side up at the top..

Memory escapes me as to where it is on the 3.8, but Im sure its not under the car, are we talking about the same thing? haha

[Wheels16]

The car is a 1998 with the 3.5 engine. The bottle is on the left side, on top, but is under a plastic brace that appears to be welded on.

[LittleHoov]

A 98 with the 3.5? The 3.5 wasnt offered until 99. Im thinking either you made a typo or your car has a history haha.

But it sounds like youre describing a strut tower brace, which I dont believe was standard equipment on the Intrigue either, and its not supposed to be welded, its supposed to be held in place with bolts and screws. I take it youre not the first owner of the car?

[Wheels16]

LH: Thanks for your patience. I bought the car for my teenage daughter. It is a 1998 and has the original engine. I thought the newer models had the larger engine. My mistake I guess. The recovery bottle is right in front of the air cleaner box and tucked under a plastic brace that is permanently attached to the car fender and runs the engine compartment. I don't see how it could ever come out from the top. Maybe if I removed all of the air cleaner box.

[LittleHoov]

Its no problem, mama always said patience was a virtue.

Anyway, I finally found a pic in the Chiltons of the 3.8 engine bay. I do see what youre talking about. But while I was thumbing through that book, I noticed something else.

It has a procedure for "Low coolant indicator ON with coolant level OK"

1. Disconnect the engine coolant level indicator module at the radiator (pictures show it on the left side of the radiator looking from the front, just below the fill cap)
2. Place the ignition switch in the On position, check if the low coolant indicator is on.
3. if indicator is no longer on, replace the coolant level indicator module.
4. if indicator is still on, check the circuit for a short to ground, between the instrument cluster connection and the module connector terminal B (usually a yellow/black wire to instrument cluster)
5. If circuit is ok, instrument cluster may need replaced.


Now, heres what I make of that. Apparently you have a sensor/module on the radiator that reports the coolant level. What the Chiltons doesnt show is that the 3.5 uses a different cooling system, and that the sensor is in fact on the overflow bottle. So I mislead you in that respect because I thought thats where it was for all the W-bodies.

The pictures show it as a small squarish sensor plugged into the side of the radiator. They say it is on the radiators right tank, which should make it on the left side if youre facing the car.

here is how they say to remove the sensor, the stuff I just typed is to tell if the sensor is bad or not.

1. partially drain the radiator to a level below the sensor.
2. unplug electrical connector from sensor
3. the sensor is retained with a snap clip, to unlock the sensor lift one leg of the snap clip from its locked position and pull outward with a slight twisting motion.

Installation is reverse.

I wish I could help you more, but Ive never done this, and never even heard of many people having to do it. Plus my car seems to use a completely different setup, so I have nothing to look at. Im going to go have a look at my own car, and see if I have anything similar.

I would also like to apologize if for any reason you decided to rip out the airbox assembly and overflow bottle only to find the sensor is not there Id be pissed at me personally.

EDIT: I did some digging on RockAuto, and was able to locate the coolant level sensor for your car, but couldnt find one for mine, so thats no good haha. But it was a 40-50 dollar part after shipping from Rockauto, so probably even more from a local place. I wanted to see if they were different part numbers, but it seems mine doesnt exist.

[Wheels16]

LH:
Thanks for al the help. I have not started ripping things out yet. I will take a look at it again this weekend. My daughter is driving all over town during the week.

[o2man]

Originally Posted by LittleHoov

What engine do you have? If you have the 3.5 the recovery bottle is on the left hand side up at the top..

Memory escapes me as to where it is on the 3.8, but Im sure its not under the car, are we talking about the same thing? haha

It's under the hose just below the radiator cap on the 3.8