In the vehicle cockpit, the coolant indicator light can illuminate either red, yellow or blue. We’ll explain here what you should do to avoid damage to your car.
A car engine gets very hot when it is running. If it is not cooled with coolant, the engine oil can become too liquid, causing it to lose its lubricity. The heat can also cause metal parts to expand, causing the engine to leak and damaging the pistons. If the coolant symbol lights up on the dashboard, you shouldn’t ignore it.
The coolant symbol in the car explained
The coolant light shows a thermometer in the water. Depending on the car manufacturer, it can have the following colors:
Gelb: If the coolant indicator light lights up yellow, there is probably not enough coolant in the tank.Rot: If it lights up red, the cooling water level is much too low or the cooling water temperature is too high.Blau: A blue light indicates that the engine and coolant are still cold and that the engine should not be subjected to heavy loads yet.
Coolant indicator light is on – what to do?
If the coolant light is red, you should stop the vehicle as soon as possible and turn it off so that the engine and coolant can cool down. If the problem recurs a short time later, you should visit a workshop.
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Check the coolant yourself
The correct coolant level
First of all: Please do not confuse the coolant container on the car with the container for the windshield washer system! The coolant reservoir is usually transparent and contains one red, yellow, green or blue liquid. On the container you will see markings for the lowest and highest liquid levels. The current fluid level should be between the two markings. Actually, the coolant level should always remain the same.
Is the coolant level too low?the cause could be a marten bite on the hoses or a defective water pump/cylinder head gasket.Is the coolant level too high?, the car should be taken to the workshop to find the cause. A scalding symbol can be seen on the coolant cap. (Image source: GIGA)
We advise against carelessly adding water to the coolant reservoir every time the level is low. Because if the mixing ratio is no longer correct, rust can develop in the radiator circuit in the long term, causing the radiator to leak. Limescale from the water can also make the hoses porous. In case of emergency However, it may make sense to top up with some water. Distilled water is even better (not chemically distilled water from the supermarket!). The correct mixing ratio of the coolant can then be set later.
add coolant
Around 5 to 10 liters of coolant flow in the car, which consists of water, monoethylene glycol and other additives such as rust protection. To buy the right coolant for your car, check the vehicle manual or ask your car dealer/manufacturer. Most of the time you will have a concentrate that has to be mixed with (low-lime) water in a ratio of 1:1 before it is filled into the container on the car. Coolant fluids of different colors must not be mixed!
Test coolant with antifreeze tester
Coolant only lasts for a certain period of time. It should every 15,000 to 30,000 kilometers In addition to brake fluid, engine oil and windshield washer fluid, the water level and quality are regularly checked. So you should at least check whether your coolant still has enough antifreeze for the winter. If not, the coolant can freeze in cold temperatures and damage the engine.
Basically, you should only check coolant when the engine is cold. since the cooling system is under pressure when hot and there is a risk of scalding if you open the coolant cap. If cold coolant is then filled into the hot engine, cracks can form due to the sudden temperature differences. There are so-called antifreeze testers for the test measure the freezing point of the coolant. The tester’s hose is placed into the coolant container to suck up a little coolant. The scale then shows at what sub-zero temperatures the coolant is protected against freezing. The frost protection is only at a temperature of -20 °C or higher, antifreeze should be added.
The following YouTube video from the channel “Die ProfiAmatoööre” shows how to check the coolant:
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