Funny Add Coolant light
 

Ok, once again my car is again pissing me completely off. I finaly got it out and drove it tonight, perfect night rain so all of the salt got washed off of the roads. K, well anyway I am driving it a long and I let it warm up with normal driving (under 3k rpm shifts) than decide that I am gona push my car to the limits, which I have never done anyway. So in the case of a heat up, I put the heat all the way up and let the car go. I get half way down the road and my fucking add coolant light goes on and stays on until I hit the brakes and goes off. Ok I throw it over my shoulder since it never comes on again until a couple miles up the road and wammm!! again it comes on and again I hit the brakes and it goes off. What the hell is up? I looked in the overflow tank and there were a few bubbles sitting around and I know that isn't good since the coolant rings might be cooked. Well if they are I know there is someone out there that can help me rebuild and is around the New England area. I know compression is still good (car took off like a bad outa hell) and I know oil rings are ok. I want to get it rebuilt but I don't have a lot of money so best options?

Before you go scrambling for a rebuild, why don't you check the coolant system to see if you got any leaks...



-Ted

Ok, sounds like a plan, I have a Haynes manual, I am kind of lazy so I am not going to look around for a diagra, but I am sure it is there. Should I be buying a FSM or look at the one on line
?

Ya- check the simple things first!!
Don't think you need an engine rebuild cause your coolant light is coming on!
The light is triggered by removing the ground from the sensor in the radiator. The wire could just have a little break or short in it, causing the light to flicker on and off when you hit the gas and brakes.
If your engine was going through SO much coolant that the light would go on only when you are on the throttle it would be blowng out HUGE clouds of white smoke!!
As for the bubbles in the overflow tank- I beleive that's pretty normal when the coolant is overflowing into the tank.
Check the level- and the sensor/wire.
My guess at the worst case scenario- Air in the coolant system, and the water pump is cavitating.... Really no big deal. Fluch and fill.


Good luck.

K, thanks for the help guys, I was pissing my pants there for a sec. I have never flushed a system so I am clueless any help?

Bumpity bump, anymore opinions. :D hehehe, I am a serious post whore so keep the responces comming; also might it be my waterpump and how much and how hard?
:(

First thing I would do is take the cap off the water filler neck when the engine is cold and make sure that it is full of coolant. If not, fill it up. If there is air in the system, it can take a few fills/engine-runs, for all the air to go away.

theres a bleeder valve on the top rad hose neck on the radiator. wait for the engine to warm up, and unscrew the bleeder till you hear hissing. if there is air in the system, itll bleed out here since its a high point. if theres no air, itll simply begin to seep out coolant. Careful, itll be hot. just dont unscrew it all the way cuz itll spew out, and thats just a whole other ugly bag of snakes.

as far as flushing, theres another plug on the bottom driver side of the radiator. just unscrew it w/ a big phillips. the coolant shoots out down and to the rear of the car, so some may splash on the undertray (if you still have it installed).

good luck.

chris

btw, if you remove the rad. cap from the top filler when its cool, and you see a steady stream of bubbles, you probably have a shot seal/gasket due to a warped housing, usually caused by overheating.