My dashboard light says to "check coolant". Does anyone know what that means and is it easy to fix?

Question

I own a Ford Escort ZX2 and it says to Check Coolant, but i dont have a manual with my car.

Answer 1

It means you have low coolant level....Pop the hood and look for a container that say coolent or engine coolant, open lid and look inside.Is level ok?

Answer 2

It means your Radiator needs fluid.

speeddemon_747 is closest to what to do.


zed is correct in that you should wait, until the vehicle is Cooled Down before opening your radiator cap.


If you don't know what everyone is talking about.

Shut off the engine.

Open the bonnet, hood, or engine cover. Look for a white opaque plastic bottle that says Coolant Level. It may be hard to see if you have a small car, or allot of extras installed around it. It will have a plastic cap.

While the plastic bottle can be opened and fluid added at any time. The radiator should be opened only when the engine is cold.

When the vehicle is cold, unless the temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit outside or below 0 degrees Centigrade, you should wait at least two hours before removing the metallic radiator cap.

The plastic bottle is a white opaque see through bottle on my car. When the engine is cold the plastic bottle should have a 50/50 mix of radiator coolant up to the point where the bottle words say, Cold.

Answer 3

The sensors have detected that the coolant (antifreeze) is low. You need to get the coolant level checked and then filled to the proper level. Have the cooling system checked for leaks. Have you noticed any coolant on the ground under the car?? If your coolant isn't full, you can get an air pocket in the cooling system and your car's heater will not work. It's also possible that the engine could overheat and cost mega-bucks to repair.

Answer 4

I agree with speeddemon_747. Check the coolant level in the overflow reservoir. It's located on the passenger side/front corner of the engine compartment. The coolant level sensor is connected directly to the reservoir cap. If the level is good, you need a new 'low coolant' sensor. It is fairly common for these to fail. You can even replace it yourself, which takes all of 30 seconds. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

It means just that to check the coolant level! Look in the overflow bottle under the hood and see if there is coolant in it,,,, that is where the sensor is located. If the level is OK then you need a new sensor, if the level is low you probably have a leak somewhere.

Answer 6

So far I haven't seen the following warning: NEVER NEVER NEVER open the coolant/radiator cap if the car has recently been running. The liquid is very hot and under pressure and it Will explode in your face. Take the cap off only when the car is completely cool. Better yet--go to a full service gas station and have them do it if you're uncertain.

Answer 7

Your car needs Coolant which is a 50% mixture of water and antifreeze in most instances. Put it in your radiator overflow tank. Any major auto parts place will gladly show you where overflow tank is. Great luck to you.

Answer 8

Hi Bill only two things you can do, either increase the water pressure, your stop **** might not be fully open, failing that you would need to select a lower temperature, this would increase the flow. you could fit a water pump, but this will cost you and one more thing, ignore the idiots on here,I am also on the UK site, but getting nerds from over the pond being rude doesn;t help, thankfully ,not all Americans are rude, there are some nice ones

Answer 9

try checking the coolant if it is low add more easy fix light will go out by itself when it is at proper level.cold engine

Answer 10

Check the coolant isn't it self explanitory????