2003 Escape coolant light
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2003 Escape coolant light
I posted earlier, my wife thought it was the battery light, well, the coolant light has been staying on for about 1/2 mile of driving 1st thing in the morning only. In the afternoon when it is warmer out it does not come on.
We took the Escape in for an oil change this morning, wife tells the service guy about the light, he adds a little antifreeze to the overflow tank. He says sometimes the sensor in there gets sensitive and if that doesn't solve the problem, he suggests installing a NEW RADIATOR??????????
That just doesn't sound right to me....truck does not overheat at all, runs great. We drove the truck 200 miles the other day, the light went off after the first 1 minute and everything ran smoothly. Thoughts?
We took the Escape in for an oil change this morning, wife tells the service guy about the light, he adds a little antifreeze to the overflow tank. He says sometimes the sensor in there gets sensitive and if that doesn't solve the problem, he suggests installing a NEW RADIATOR??????????
That just doesn't sound right to me....truck does not overheat at all, runs great. We drove the truck 200 miles the other day, the light went off after the first 1 minute and everything ran smoothly. Thoughts?
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From: North of Boston MA
Originally Posted by mrshark
IHe says sometimes the sensor in there gets sensitive and if that doesn't solve the problem, he suggests installing a NEW RADIATOR??????????
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Or install a new mechanic.....
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From: Duff, Tn.
Maybe change the sensor in the reservoir. If thid don't help I've heard about changing the reservoir, But Trying to get you to change the radiator? That's just them trying to give you the royal screwing. I can tell you already know better than that, but my guess would be keep it topped off at the proper level, if that don't work it would probably be the sensor. Good luck and keep us updated. JOE
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Usually when a radiator gets a bit low on coolant the dash light will go off as the engine warms and the coolant expands. The other culprit is when the sensor goes bad necessitating replacing the sensor or the expansion tank that holds the sensor if they are integrated together. Suggesting to replace the radiator is a pure scam and probably trying to take advantage of a woman driver. A scoundrel for sure.
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Joined: Jul 2004
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From: in the woods of MA
No offense intended mrshark, but could your wife maybe have mishheard "new radiator sensor" as "new radiator"? If you're not familar with the relevant pieces and parts, it would be easy to do...
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From: fort smith, ar
As far as I know, the only purpose of the coolant light is to warn you when the coolant level gets low. That's how it works on my '01 Escape anyway. I presume it is the same on an '03 but don't know for sure. That's why adding coolant solves the problem. On my '01 it eventually stayed on even when the coolant was full. Since the sensor is embedded in the overflow tank, I ended up replacing the whole tank (@ $75 I think). No problems since then. If it ever malfunctions again, I'll just unplug the sensor wire and drive the Escape as is without buying a new tank. No other vehicle I've ever owned had a coolant sensor like this...duh.
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I looked at unplugging the wire from the sensor on my wife's '01 Escape, but I can't get to the connector without moving a lot of parts.
The light has been on for about 160,000 miles. When will that dang bulb burn out?
The light has been on for about 160,000 miles. When will that dang bulb burn out?
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From: fort smith, ar
The plug is on the steering fluid reservor side of the coolant tank. Just unbolt and lift either the coolant tank or the steering fluid tank (whichever you find easier...no need to disconnect hoses) to get at the plug, and unsnap the coolant sensor wire. Its a 5 minute job.
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