The light is on the right hand side of the dash panel and looks like a rectangular shape with a parallel line sticking out of the left top and a smaller rectangular shape protrouding from the right side. Right about the ABS indicator.Any idea what this means? (I looked in the manual and found nothing) How long can I drive without this getting fixed/looked at?
I own a shop, and think you have a leak in the system some place. As for the light staying on a year, that sounds like a faulty sensor in the bottom of the recovery tank (where you add coolant), and it is either not floating up (stuck), or it is just no good. When adding coolant to your engine, you must keep in mind two things; One, the type of coolant you put into the system does matter, and only use the coolant the manufacture recommends or its equivalent. It should say right on the container For all types of vehicles if its the right one. Two; Pay attention to the marks where the level is to be filled to. Too much and it will throw it back out when the engine gets up to normal temperature. Coolant expands contracts in the system, and if you don't leave enough room for it to expand, it will kick it out the overflow. If a system is allowed to get too low, it will pull air into it, and this air will have to be purged from the system, or it will cause hot spots, and an overheating condition. The best advice anyone could give you is to have it pressure tested along with the cap too. This way you will know right away what the problem is. There are many things that can cause this problem, and finding the cause can be difficult at times. The pressure test will find it 99% of the time. Have this done, and you will know what to do next. About the only thing a pressure test won't find is a sticking thermostat, so you may want to have that replaced anyway. Glad to help out, Good luck!!!
Looking at the owners manual online, and going by your description, it is either the low coolant light (to the right of the Check Engine light) or the Charging System light (to the right of the ABS and Seat belt lights). If it's the low coolant light, simply adding more antifreeze to the radiator should take care of it. If not, have a mechanic take a look at the engine to see if there a cooling system problem. If it's the Charging System light, and it stays on, then there is an issue with the electrical system on your car. It could be as simple as the battery not having enough power, or as complex as the generator not producing enough power to fully operate the car. This should be checked by a mechanic or at least taken to an auto parts store that can/will test the electrical system for free (such as generator/alternator).
