Coolant light is on!!!!!!!!

[GPdriver1986]

I just purchased a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix and my coolant light is on. Its not the low coolant light. Does this light mean that there is a temperature problem? The guy that i bought it from said that it could be the level sensor of the overflow tank but that is a different light. Can someone help me?

[JS91Z34]

Is it on all the time? Or does it come on after the car has ran a few minutes?

[GPdriver1986]

its on all the time

[JS91Z34]

start checking sensors. Does this thing have a temp guage in it or is it just the light. If it has a guage in it, what is the needle doing.

[GPdriver1986]

yes it has the guage. It only moves up only 2 notches up. Could it be a problem with the cluster, it might need some new solder?

[Guest Anonymous]

I would say you need a new temp. sensor.

[GPdriver1986]

which one?

Engine temperature sensor or coolant temperature sensor

The 3.1 engine uses these two.

[Robby1870]

I would say you need a new temp. sensor.

 

:withstupid: the engine temp is the same as the coolant temp, theres not two gauges. Just ask the parts store for Temperature Sensor, it should have one wire running from the top of it

 

My 3.1L doesnt have two sensors

 

Robby

[nerfbars]

There is a coolant temp sensor that feeds info to the computer its by the thermostat housing and there is a temperature sender that sends the signal to the guage which is on the rear head. You need to try the temperature sender.

[Robby1870]

yeah, that is very true, I forgot about that. yeah, I have changed the seder as well, very easy, one green wire coming from it

 

Robby

[GPdriver1986]

so which one do you guys think I replace? I think that its probably the engine temp sensor I already found it but I need to know for sure.

By the way what is the light for anyway?overheating?

[badprix]

my coolant light was on all the time and then my head gaskets blew *shrugs*

[Guest Anonymous]

so which one do you guys think I replace? I think that its probably the engine temp sensor I already found it but I need to know for sure.

By the way what is the light for anyway?overheating?

 

You need the one that's in the head. It will have a wire coming out of it like Robby said. The other temp sensor takes a plug.

 

Yes, the light is for overheating.

[GPdriver1986]

Do you guys think my engine is overheating??????????

Or is the light on becuase the sensor is bad?

 

I will probably end up replacing both sensors.

[Guest Anonymous]

I doubt the engine is overheating. Probably just a bad sensor. Check you coolant level. If it's low, fill it up. Watch for coolant coming out of the overflow when the car is hot.

[GPdriver1986]

I'm not sure is this has something to do with my problem, but when I opened the fuse box in the engine bay, the two fan relays were missing, in their place were two jumper cables, therefore making the fans run all the time. But my temp is ok because we drove 12 miles and the engine ran fine no overheating, the overflow tank is also full.

[GPdriver1986]

I tryed something today. I took out the jumpers and got some relays from the junkyard, and I put them in. I let the engine idle the temp went to 105 and I turned, the fans did not come on at all during that time.