Hi,

I'm new to this thread so I hope i'm doing this right. I'm also new to cars. I recently bought a 1998 Saturn SC2, and today while I was driving, these two icons started blinking. Can someone please tell me what this means? Is this going to be something expensive to repair? thank you!

 

That is a low coolant warning light. When the car is cold please check the coolant level in the plastic pressure tank. There is a level sensor that has detected low coolant. The tank needs to be about half full, when it drops it turns on that light. There is no way of knowing how much the repair will cost until the problem is diagnosed. It is possible that the coolant is a little low and since the weather is cold you just need a little coolant mix.
It also might be a coolant leak that needs attention. Please check the tank level and let us know what you find.

 

This happens on both my 95 and 97 SC2 at cold startup.

They don't flag right away. About 2 min in, they start blinking. I think that is when the thermostat opens and some of the fluid from the expansion tank gets into the system, dropping that level ever so slightly.

They flash for about two minutes while I'm driving, then stop.

I assume this is when the coolant warms up a bit and expands, raising the level in the expansion tank.

Can't prove any of this.

I believe the switch in the Saturn coolant reservoir is a pressure switch as it is all the way at the bottom and must conceivably work off of the head pressure of the liquid above it. even the new aftermarket ones are very sensitive and I think they are designed to be that way. You can be down a fingers width of coolant in that tank and it will sometimes trigger the light.

Add a bit more 50/50 cooling water mix if your level is not significantly low and you are not losing coolant. Fill it a little bit above the middle seam of the tank until this issue becomes a non-issue

Of course per Andy if you are losing significant coolant then what I explained is not the issue

 

Remove your oil dipstick and check and make sure it's just oil on the stick. If it looks like a milkshake, you've got a possibly blown head gasket or intake gasket. I sure hope it's just a low coolant issue.

 

So how is it going?

 

Never to be heard from again????