It's a 2001 2.2 automatic and the red light on the right side of the display comes on occassionaly -- it's like a square with water in the bottom of it. I bought the car and don't have a muanual so I'm not exactly sure what this light is...the temperature guage is fine though and the light usually only comes on when I'm on an incline.

So my question is do I need to add actual coolant or can I just add some water to it? If coolant what specific type?

Sorry for the noob question

I meant to say I bought the car "used" and it didn't come with a manual

Its your low coolant light, you should be just fine adding clean water to it.

If it turns out there's a leak and you end up adding water more than once, you would want to look for some Dexcool-compatible coolant to add and keep the system at about a 50/50 mix. My 1997 Cavy started showing me that light this past summer, and I've since diagnosed a coolant leak at the head gasket. Not fun.



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check your coolant hoses, mine sprung a leak a while ago. very slow leak so it only showed up sometimes, usually when i stepped on the gas, or was sitting on a hill.

Tinkles wrote:Its your low coolant light, you should be just fine adding clean water to it.

Awesome I'll try that -- I haven't noticed any wet spots around the car or leaks so hopefully that will be the fix

You also have to remember about what the other guys are saying. That if the problem is low coolant, it has to go somewhere.

gm also has problems with the coolant level sensor going bad in the bottle and you would need to replace the whole bottle if you doint find any leak

Corey Zarda wrote:gm also has problems with the coolant level sensor going bad in the bottle and you would need to replace the whole bottle if you doint find any leak

got the same prob. unplug the bit*h and keep eye on coolant level

Tinkles wrote:Its your low coolant light, you should be just fine adding clean water to it.

Use distilled water instead. Less chance of mineral contamination to the system. Also make sure you use Dex Cool. The green stuff wont cut it.


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I have a 2001 2.2 (not the Ecotec) and the light comes on every couple of months. I top it up but it comes back. Looks like the reservoir is empty when I top it up.

Once in a while I can definitely smell coolant, for about a minute or less. I can't find any evidence of any leak!!

--> The temp. is just above the 90C (195F) mark, or at the first line above that, or (almost never) slightly over. Should it move even that small amount?

Hopefully there's a small leak not a head gasket or water pump.

Has anyone ever dealt with this?

GM cars have a largely variable range of temperature operation, because the fans don't come on until the temp passes 225F.

That point is 2 notches above 195 or maybe in your case it's a 1/4 of the way to the H from the 195 mark.

Since my car's A/C compressor is not plugged in (because I don't have $$ to fix it), I can turn "on" the A/C to power up the cooling fans and keep the temps at 195. Car also accelerates much better at 195 instead of 230.


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We all drive in a yellow Cavalier...

I have the same - the light comes on, then goes off after a couple of minutes. Sometimes it comes back on for a minute, then it's off until the car is off and re-started after cooling down.

I have to top up the reservoir every couple of months too. I don't think it's a head gasket since the temp gauge never changes, it's between 92-94°C, changing slowly, if ever.

Sometimes I can smell coolant, but I don't see any leaks! Nothing makes it to the ground, for sure, and poking around didn't find anything. Seems that there's a leak somewhere.


Any hints - where should I start looking??