My "coolant level light is on now, but the level is fine. I ve checked it and double checked it, both the reserve tank and the radiator. I need to get this fixed in time to go to the beach in sept. Someone help please. Is it just a sensor or something more?

 

Most likely if there is a code being thrown, yet the problem isn't there, it's the sensor.

 

thats what i thought. i went to autozone and the KID in there said that "if the check engine light isnt on we cant read the codes"!. I explained that this is A check engine light, but no matter what i said he just refused to understand that i wasnt driving a freakin honda. oh well, OOOO Oreilly's!

 

It's technically not a check engine light. It's in your Driver Information Center, which doesn't put out any codes that you can read with a standard OBDII scanner.
I'm not sure if a tech 2 scanner would read it, but either way a low coolant level message is pretty self-explanatory. Either the coolant is low, or the sensor is fubar'd.

One other thing I would check is your thermostat. I had an odd issue where I was getting a low coolant level message in my old '01 LS, and it was just a shot thermostat. Caused some other weird issues that are all part of a failsafe system the car uses in case of a bad t-stat. Easy thing to check, and a $5 part anyways.

-Riggs.

 

wait a minute!!!!!!!!!!!
If a bad thermostat can cause this then that would explain why mine came on after
getting the gauge to read strait up.It was not hot by the gauge standard but was above its normal.Then going back off when I drove around again about five hours later.After it had cooled back down.
2002 3800 series II

 

I just fixed this problem this weekend it is the thermostat sticking all I did was flush the radiator real good and put new fluid in problem fixed

 

Keith
I hope your problem is fixed but I had just changed my thermostat about 500 miles back.
Would anyone know that temperature the gauge is reading at strait up?
Thanks,
Mike T

 

Maybe your coolant temp sensor needs to be replaced...

 

Confused by what you mean... do you mean halfway on the gauge (needle pointing up)? Because that's the stock 195°

 

yes i mean strait up or half way on the gauge.This is on a 2002 MC SS 3800.
By the way after about 20 miles bit came back on.
If strait up is 195 that would of course be normal on this car.However this car will normally read slightly above the second wide mark.I thought the second wide mark might be 180 and just above that would be 190.Because it sometimes gets to strait up or slightly above I was wondering what it might be.
Thanks for all the input
Mike T