I have a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire. I have no clue how much coolant should be in it.? I can't see the full line on the thing? car temp is always at 195. car runs perfect for having 156,000 .
Asked by redsunset13601 Sep 19, 2015 at 02:37 PM about the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire SE Coupe
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I have no clue how much coolant should be in that reservoir? I can't find the full line and the tag said no need to fill until 150,000 miles. I do see coolant in the lower half of the reservoir but I don't think it is enough? Just bought it 2 months ago and it has 156,000 on it and since I have owned it temp runs 195 all the time. I was told that is normal as these cars run a little hotter. Being female I hate to take it to a garage and have them try to do more than what is needed to the car and rip me off. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty or break a nail, I just don't want to overheat the car. It is in excellent shape for the year and runs great. although today for the first time the check engine light came on and that I am worried about. Thanks
7 Answers
No need to put any more coolant in the reservoir tank more than 1/3 full, 2/3 should be empty. Should have ask about the service done on the car, Not a bad idea to have the coolant system flushed, most people neglect this.
195 to 205 is normal, should run around 200 deg. Check engine light probably is something simple, some one with a scanner code reader can tell you what it means. With that many miles on it sometimes check engine light will come on just to let you know to get it serviced. Could try taking the neg. battery cable off for 3 min. to see if it clears the code, if there is something wrong the check engine light will come back on.
redsunset13601 answered 8 years ago
Thanks so much. I will try the battery deal and see if it shuts off. I just went out once again and everything inside is working just fine, cig lighter, horn, wipers, etc..
redsunset13601 answered 8 years ago
Oh I did find the coolant full line but I do not see any fluid on that line. I can see fluid down in the whole and there is two lines around the hole and the fluid is below those two lines. One last question if I many... It is idling at 1-RPM shouldn't it be zero? I guess I will look for a service place to take it to. God only knows when it was last serviced. Motor is clean though. No leaks no where. So leery, I had a 1999 Honda Civi 47,000 on it. Ran perfect. Took it to one of the "well known" Oil Chains to get the oil changed in it and two days later it started loosing power 3 days after that it blew a rod right through the motor on the highway. Thanks for answering my questions so quickly.
You want to put fluid in after the engine has cooled down like over night, then up to the full line with 50/50. Your RPM sounds a bit fast, warmed up it should be around 500 RPM for a standard. Sorry about the Honda, like you say, you just never know. Also just clean the battery connections, save you some grief.
redsunset13601 answered 8 years ago
I guess tomorrow I Wil go to a car parts store. Get oil. Say's 5/30. I will get new plugs. Might as well . No clue when they were last changed. I did notice the positive cable is a little loose . Tried to tighten with hand thinking engine light might be due to that. There's no date punched out on battery. No corrosion build up. But I Will take ur advice and wire brush them off. I did notice 2 of the fuses are not the correct amperage. To high. They should be 15 not 25 according to the map of them inside the cover. Hopefully this check engine light is nothing to fret about. I could go on and on with questions. Lol..I researched these cars for a couple of weeks before I decided on it. Had good reviews. Someone took car of it obviously before I got it because it has very expensive rims on it and looks to have brand new low profile tires. It's the 2 door sporty looking one. But then again mechanics is the most important part. You have been more than helpful. I thank you very much.
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