Why is this warning light showing up on my car?
Asked by
Seek (
34808
)
June 28th, 2016
I have a 2000 Ford Taurus Wagon.
For some reason I can’t parse, the “Low Coolant” light keeps popping on. My coolant is absolutely not low (I’ve neurotically checked it about a thousand times). I cannot find any evidence of a coolant leak. The temperature gauge is not showing the engine reaching any sort of even kind of dangerous heat even during long trips, and even with ambient temperature in the low 90s.
If this is just a touchy/overactive sensor, is there any way to stop it from reading false positives? I’d like to not have to disable it, lest the radiator fail at some point and I actually need the warning.
My go-to mechanic is a retired old dude. He’s good, but he doesn’t charge for diagnostics, and I would rather not take up time he could be making money on exploratory surgery. He likes me because I figure out the problems before I come to him.
Thanks for the help.
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12 Answers
It sounds like the sensor might be defective. I would take it to a Ford Dealership. They can properly determine what the problem is and fix it.
This seems to address the problem.
That was good sleuthing and advice, @thorninmud. By the way, when the advice is “buy a new…” you don’t always, or even “often” need to “buy a new…”
When you know the part you’re looking for and how it is attached to the vehicle (and what needs to be disassembled to get to it), you can usually find a serviceable part at a “properly stocked” junkyard. Just take your tools and make the arrangements with the junkyard proprietor before looking for and removing the part you need. (Or maybe you have a “full-service” junkyard in your area, where you specify the part you want and they’ll retrieve it for you.)
Boy, that takes me back…
Well, if the problem is based on a 16 year old magnet just falling off, I’d rather start over with a new tank with a fresh sensor that isn’t a time bomb waiting to fall off next week or next year. I like my mechanic but I don’t want to have to pay him to fix this again in six months.
With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap and make certain the radiator is full. Then check the over flow bottle/reservoir to make sure the coolant level is at or just above “low.” If you can find where the sensor is, make sure the wire isn’t disconnected or corroded.
Another word on cheap parts. I needed an oxygen sensor, and the shop said $200.
Instead I watched Youtube videos for instructions, and found the part new on eBay. Total cost was $18 for the part and $8 for a wrench.
@Seek Yay…I hate troubleshooting car stuff and can’t afford to run to a mechanic anymore either for every little thing. Recently my gas flap started sticking, I hit the button, it won’t pop open.
I have this running thing going now with the kid at my regular gas stop that comes out and pushes the flap as I hit the button. It then springs open. lol
Gotta get it looked at soon but I keep forgetting until I go to the pumps again. lol
@Coloma – My first car did that. I just removed the spring and pried the door open with my debit card when I needed it open from then on.
@Coloma Try lubricating the gas door mechanism (hinge, spring, latch, EVERYTHING) with WD-40 and see what happens.
OH! And one more thing: Disconnecting the light won’t work. If you are in a state that has emissions tests, the light being on will trigger an error code in the car’s computer and your car will fail the emissions test. It has to be fixed and the error code erased.
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