Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting What causes the Coolant Light to come on?

What sensor triggers that light? I know it's not the water pump since the Coolant light never came on when the impeller broke. The only time coolant light came on for me was when I parked on an incline, but that goes away in about 2 minutes.

As I wrote before, my coolant light came on, and it was intermittent already. My dealers already charged me $150+ for diagnositcs that didn't pinpoint anything. I already had the waterpump replaced, and the light is STILL on (at least it doesn't appear to be leaking any more). Now what?

just add a cup or so of 50/50 mix to your resevoir. The sensor likes to have the coolant above the max line, and it doesnt do any harm ot have it above the line, so there is no need to spend money to fix something that isn't really broken.

That's the problem... The car's warm already (drove it for 20 miles over 30 minutes) and it's ALREADY above the line! It's OVER AN INCH above the max line! AND it's on level ground!

But your car isn't overheating is it?

Tried disconnecting battery for 15 minutes (that probably won't do it, but it never hurts to try)

Does the light ever go out?

The reason your light comes on is because contours like most fords are built by bean counters, not engineers. They put some cheap part on your car, it failed and now you're the one hosed. Nice to be a Ford owner isn't it!

the coolant light is just a reminder that you should check the level of coolant in the recovery tank.. in the old days.. like 3 to 4 yrs. ago they never had the coolant warning lights... so if the car is not overheating and the coolant level is high then you can just disreguard it.. or unplug the sensor, under the coolant recovery tank or replace the sensor(hint.. remove the coolant recovery tank... look there for sensor....

FOR CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS OF THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT COMING ON PERFORM NORMAL DIAGNOSTIC FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE IN THE APPROPRIATE SERVICE MANUAL. IF THE CONCERN IS UNRESOLVED: 1) ENSURE THE COOLANT LEVEL IS AT THE MAX FILL LINE ON "COLD ENGINE" 2) CHECK ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS AT THE BOTTLE LOW COOLANT SENSOR BEING CAREFUL NOT TO ROTATE THE SENSOR OUT OF IT'S LOCKED POSITION DURING THIS STEP OR MISDIAGNOSIS OR REPEAT REPAIRS ARE LIKELY. IF NO CAUSE CAN BE FOUND FOR THE CONCERN, INSTALL A NEW LOW COOLANT BOTTLE, PART NUMBER F8RZ-8A080-HA.

FOR 95-97 CONTOUR/MYSTIQUE 2.5L WITH LOW COOLANT INDICATOR LIGHT ON, FIRST CHECK COOLANT LEVEL. COOLANT MUST BE AT MAX LINE WITH ENGINE COLD, AND 1/2 INCH ABOVE MAX LINE WITH ENGINE HOT. ENSURE ALL AIR HAS BEEN PURGED FROM COOLANT SYSTEM. IF COOLANT INDICATOR STAYS LIT (ERRATICALLY OR CONTINUOUSLY), PERFORM VOLT DROP TEST ON GROUND CKT 31 (BK WIRE) FROM LOW COOLANT LEVEL SWITCH TO G101. VOLT DROP SHOULD BE NO HIGHER THAN 0.1V. IF HIGHER, ADD A REDUNDANT GROUND CIRCUIT TO CKT 31 (BK WIRE) AT LOW COOLANT LEVEL SWITCH CONNECTOR (C114). MAKE SURE THE REDUNDANT GROUND CIRCUIT IS FOR THE LOW COOLANT LEVEL SWITCH ONLY AND NO OTHER COMPONENTS OR CIRCUITS ARE SHARING THIS GROUND. FOLLOW PROPER WIRE SOLDERING AND SEALING PROCEDURES ON ALL REDUNDANT GROUND CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS. IF LIGHT IS ON CONTINUOUSLY EVEN WITH SENSOR UNPLUGGED, CHECK CONTROL ASSEMBLY AS POSSIBLE SOURCE OF CONCERN.

Thanks, finally got it resolved. Basically, the switch in/under the aux reservoir is bad, and that somehow cooked the "module" that it was hooked up to. Both were replaced, and now the light's off.

Now I need to save up for new struts up front, new engine mounts, and bushings for the rear... Hmmm... Maybe order online and have my local mechanic install it? Hmmm...