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[portomega]

Just driven home from a 12 hr night shift and just 0.5 a mile from home, just off the motorway, my display shows " COOLANT LEVEL" now i actually checked all my fluid levels about an hour before driving home. and after parking up when getting home theres no signs of any leaks so .....why the warning? 

[Welung666]

The level sensors can get dirty and fail quite often in the coolant resevoir. Try pushing the float down a few times with the blunt end of a pencil, that'll clean a bit off. If the warning keeps coming back then it's either a new resevoir (as the sensor is built into it) or unplug it and bridge the connection, this will stop the warning but won't tell you if your resevoir is empty. Bottles are only around the £30 mark on TC from VX

[portomega]

  thanks for that, once i've had a kip i'll give it a poke see how that goes , hopefully it is just something simple like that 

[Chris_H]

thanks for that, once i've had a kip i'll give it a poke see how that goes , hopefully it is just something simple like that 

A poke might fix it for now but it will surely come back on. 

The false-alarms become a nuisance after a while.  If you check under your bonnet regularly, you will not need the sensor.

Mine is shorted-out after trying a working s/h unit for a day or two.

[Andy B]

......
If you check under your bonnet regularly, you will not need the sensor. ......

but some/most like things fitted to their car to work!     

As a shiney new header tank is only around £30 I wouldn't bother replacing with a 2nd hand tank.   

[portomega]

gave the float a poke but display is still showing " CHECK..COOLANT LEVEL"  if i put a new tank on it would i have to drain the whole system or could i just refit the new tank and just fill that to the right level?

[shammster]

Just change the tank and top up.
You can catch most of the flid anyway.

[portomega]

that sounds simple enough, didnt fancy draining the whole system , im guessing theres an electraicla wire that connects to the tank somewhere for the sensor? i had a quick look and couldnt see anything though, anyone got a rough idea where its located?

[Welung666]

the plug is underneath the tank, impossible to see until the tank is off.

[portomega]

cheers thanks for that  i guess its a trip to vauxhall tomorrow, for a tank and some coolant

[Andy B]

cheers thanks for that  i guess its a trip to vauxhall tomorrow, for a tank and some coolant

Coolant loss is minimal when replacing the header tank. 

[portomega]

No need to buy some then? even better!  finally! something that doesnt cost an arm and leg to fix 

[manc]

Just replaced my header tank, syphoned the coolant out with a plastic syringe, be warned over a litre of coolant in it, you need to be very good not to make a mess!

[Chris_H]

......
If you check under your bonnet regularly, you will not need the sensor. ......

but some/most like things fitted to their car to work!     

As a shiney new header tank is only around £30 I wouldn't bother replacing with a 2nd hand tank.   

I do like things fixed but when something is designed that poorly you're on a hiding-to-nothing in my view.  Both of the ones I have buzzed out ok before I fitted them.

If you have a coolant leak AND a faulty sensor, you soon lose any attachment to the warning system.

[portomega]

Have unplugged the sensor at the bottom of the tank and bridged the connectors with a piece of wire but the warning on the dash stayed on could this mean its the sensor at fault?