Low coolant light intermittent

I don't know if this has been asked or addressed as I looked through and didn't see anything similar. Just wondering if anyone has ran into this issue before regarding the low coolant light coming on every so often? Before I do any preliminary tests. Thanks for any advice!

Umm, the preliminary "test" is to look in the coolant reservoir and to open the radiator cap and see if the coolant is indeed low... Do that? What'd you find?

I apologize for not stating that I've done the obvious and looked into the radiator, and also checked my overflow reservoir everything looked good visually.

I should have also stated that by saying "preliminary" testi was referring to troubleshooting steps(electronic) and for my service manual procedures. I was just wondering if anyone else has encountered this issue.

Mine used to do that. Replaced the sensor on the radiator, about halfway down on the passenger side.

Thanks a lot!

my 95 riv had the same problem.

in hindsight it appears related to the common "intake-manifold-gaskets-fail" problem.

my low coolant alert was occasional & intermittant.
because the sensor cost more than $75,
i removed and cleaned the sensor.
[don't precisely recall what was used to clean, probably hot water/dish soap]

problem solved.

i concluded that the cause was contamination of the sensor caused by oil
that got into the coolant before the intake gaskets were changed.

Thanks for the input I will be looking into trying that out.

9ty7rivi wrote:

Thanks for the input I will be looking into trying that out.

Thanks for posting you'd done the obvious.  

My experience is that the factory coolant sensor just dies after some time/mileage.  IIRC I got a Delphi, that was years ago & I don't see any on rockauto.com now.   The Standard they show ought to be OK.  To cheap out you could pull one at a pick n pull.  I don't know what makes them fail; I do know they can get crud buildup on them.

Not a problem. Thanks for any and all input given. I take it where I can. I haven't had it come up since my last post. I figured after I ran it hard(not WOT) 1/2 throttle get it a little upset and force some coolant flow it would come up and nothing, yet.

Low coolant sensor. Where exactly is this at please. I think I put a sensor on when I redid a radiator, but I assumed that was for temperature. I could be wrong though. And that sensor was made in Tunisia. Go figure

EyeDoc1 wrote:

Low coolant sensor. Where exactly is this at please. I think I put a sensor on when I redid a radiator, but I assumed that was for temperature. I could be wrong though. And that sensor was made in Tunisia. Go figure

Hi Doc, we're almost neighbors - I'm down in Salem.
The low-coolant sensor is screwed into the starboard radiator tank just above the radiator hose, so yes, that is probably what you replaced when you did that oh-so-fun radiator swap (the temp sensor is on the engine.)

Unlike the washer & oil sensors that come on at useful levels (my oil lights @ 1.25 quarts down) I've always figured this one was kinda' dumb at that level... Mine has never tripped, and I think one would expect the gauge or even the red light to notify the driver by the time the coolant gets that low. If it was me, I'd probably just disconnect it to avoid the annoying light.

Mark

Another Mark. I met Mark Playa in the Pick 'n Pull in Sherwood, OR. He's good people and knowledgable about Riv's. We meet when a Riv comes into the yards, but they are getting scarce these days. To remove the sensor in the yard, it is indeed located on the passenger side of the radiator, above the lower hose. To get to it...something else. Remove the front metal shroud, about 10-10mm bolts and I believe 2-13 mm's. Pull small hoses and drains out of the way, then remove the passenger electric fan (3 bolts), pull it out of the way, then you have a better shot at access. There are 2 "ears" or tabs, plastic, (naturally) that appear to be clear plastic, but black with grease and grime and the 12 and 6 o'clock position. The trick is to wiggle the sensor out, while elevating BOTH tabs with a pick or small screwdriver. Great if you have 3 hands and a 4th to hold the flashlight (get a headlamp--part of my junkyard kit). By CAREFULLY lifting a tab at a time, it is possible to remove the sensor without breaking anything. Job takes about 30 minutes with all the disassembly. Probably can be gotten from the bottom as well, but you're removing a lot of plastic in the meantime. Sensor pulled...now son says it needs new wheel bearing. The fun never stops, does it.

Heh heh, yeah I just 'met' Mark-in-Newberg on here because of his wrecking yard listing. A friend took me there about 4 years ago but I couldn't remember where it was - and I kicked myself for not checking the driver's mirror & seat module while I was there...

I would take a ride up there myself if the god's weren't conspiring against me with leak problems on both the Rivi and the Wildcat.