K i m gonna go out today and pick up a radiator cap and see if that helps. Also i m in college which about 90 miles from my house. Well god forebit the head gasket is blown i m screwed but where can pick up one of those kits? To test the oil. will the oil from the dipstick be enough?

 

Also when i said that the coolant was leaking out of the reserve cap, there was lot of fuild in there. Almost to the top of the reserve cap. So isn't it suppose to take out the excessive amout?

 

The coolant flows into the reservoir tank as the system heats up, and the coolant expands. Then, when the radiator/engine cool down and the coolant contracts, it pulls coolant from the reservoir back into the radiator. That is supposed to keep the coolant level at the very top of the radiator, with no air in the system at all.

A weak cap spring would reduce the boiling point of the coolant, and a few hot spots in the engine might generate enough heat to cause localized boiling, resulting expansion, and the coolant being blown into the reservoir. So.... a new cap is worht a try.

The other possible problem is a leak in the hose from the radiator overflow connection, to the reservoir. The coolant flowing out the cap is not at high enough pressure to make it leak out of the hose (gravity is in charge), but when the radiator cools down, and the vacuum starts to pull coolant back out of the reservoir, it isn't goint to flow. The crack in the rubber hose will let air be pulled into the radiator, resulting in a low coolant level. You need to check the overflow hose for cracks.

If the system is working correctly, and the air has been fully bled from the system, the level in the radiator should never be less than right at the fill neck/cap level. You should only have to check the coolant level in the reservoir tank, not by opening the radiator cap. Any loss of fluid resulting in the radiator not being all the way to the top will have to be accounted for by finding the problem in the system.

 

So basically it really shouldn't matter that the coolant was all the way to the top on the reserve tank. It shouldn't of thrown out. I guess that's what you guys are saying. I am gonna try to go out today and try to pick up a radiator cap and see if that helps.

 

Have you been checking the coolant level in the reservoir tank? If you keep pulling the cap off, and the level is low in the radiator, and you add coolant to the radiator, eventually you might overflow the reservoir tank, particularly if you have a crack in the overflow hose.

 

Well I just pull of the reserve tank's cap off and see where the level this. I added coolant to the reserve tank. And it overflowed.

 

Any more suggestions or ideas? I called to a local Meineken dealer by my house, they said they would do a free diagnoistic and then let me know what's going on? But the problem is it's 80 miles to my house then another 9-10miles to that place, when the engine is runing the temp stays on the operating range. So should i try taking it there, and pray to god that nothing happens on the way home?

 

if i were you id do what i did and take it to a shop and do what someone else has already recommended and thats to do a test for exhaust gases in your coolant. usually its just a suction thing they put on the radiator and the test fluid turns colors. if it the liquid stays the same color your good to go and as long as your car isnt over heating id say you might be alright. but if its your head gasket i definately would not drive it anywhere. #1 antifreeze toasts bearings and #2 no telling when the gasket will shoot out worse and your car will overheat.

 

Well I just spent $40 for nothing. Went to get the car checked for the cooling system. While driving there the light came on after i drove for about 15mins. So i go there park the car, then they take the car out and they drove it around the light wouldn't come on anymore. i went with them and slammed the car, and the light wouldn't come one at all. They checked and couldn't find anything. So hopefully it's fixed.

 

INJUNEER...I read so many posts here I dont know exactly when I read it but it sent some type of signal and not sure if it was to the PCM or not
.
So the light is not coming on anymore????

 

Nope, drove home yesterday no light. Thank god

 

When my coolant level sensor went out the light came on and off intermittently at random. Some trips, no light, sometimes it would blink on and off.

I'm with Injuneer, I don't think the PCM is aware of the low coolant sensor. For one thing, a bad or unplugged sensor doesn't throw a code.

 

Well, i have been having the same exact problem, and today I worked on a 95 TA that also had the coolant level light on. So what im getting out of all this is that the sensor is just a piece of crap and its a common problem. My question is, why the hell aren't you people trying the obvious replacing of the sensor after checking the level and always being full? I havent looked into the price yet, but I imagine it cant be that bad where you people would **** around for weeks if you're not overheating nor lacking fluid? Maybe its just me, but it would seem the first place to start. I know its not going to make your car any faster, but get off your damn wallet and buy the thing or just unplug it. Sometimes you gotta buy parts that dont give you any more HP.

 

blown94 I agree on your point. Sometimes we need to buy parts that don't give us horsepower but makes the car work. Well the reason I was so hesitant about changing it was because i changed it over the summer after i bought the car. So i hesitated a bit thinking the sensor is few months old.

 

Yeah I replaced mine. About $35 at carparts.com.

If you try shopping around you'll have to be forceful about getting the coolant LEVEL sensor. The idiots at some of the parts stores I called wouldn't believe me that the level sensor was different from the temp sensor in the water pump.