Originally posted by LonePalm:
Had my low coolant light come on and permanently stay on after a recent flush/fill.

I filled the overflow tank 1/2" over the max. line (when engine cold) as prescribed by the FAQ to no avail.

I even tried to agitate the overflow tank fluid to see if I could dislodge whatever might be affecting the sensor.

That is not what I want to do, so I want to try cleaning the sensor first, and if necessary, clean the entire tank.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!



This is what I would do if this were my Contour.

1) Check coolant strength. If you did a flush and fill at Ford or Indie and they had very dilute coolant strength, that could make your coolant sensor go haywire. ($5 coolant tester from Autozone). If coolant strength is low, siphon out coolant from recovery tank and pour in 100% strength coolant to half inch above max. Start engine and see if that solved the problem

2)If that did not work, siphon out coolant from recovery tank. Remove hose from bottom of recovery tank and tape up with duct tape so that nothing goes into cooling system. Then tape up plastic end connector at bottom of recovery tank. Then fill to 1/2 recovery tank with water. Using brush with sponge taped around it (the long type used to clean baby bottles), reach in from cap and try to clean the area by the sensor. Do it gently. The goal is to dislodge crud from the area, not destroy sensor. Then remove tape from bottom of recovery tank to let water drain out. Do this one or two more times. Then reinstall, and pour 100% coolant into recovery tank to half inch above max. Start engine and see if it works.

3) If this doesn't work, then only would I mess with trying to take out sensor.

Note: I have had to do Number 1 before when I had problems with the coolant light coming on after a flush and fill.


Good luck.






"Always do the cheap and easy ones first." 1996 V6 ATX 96K miles