bad luck
03-01-2014, 08:10 PM
As the coolant solution in your engine ages, it can become acidic, and if left long enough, this can leave a buildup of scale and deposits in the radiator and cooling system that can corrode sensors. This can cause them to send the wrong signal to the computer, causing problems. And if the vehicle has gotten pretty hot or maybe overheated make sure to check all the coolant sensors and the cps sensors too, the overheating could possibly crack the housing of them and cause problems with incorrect readings. So how to know when to change your coolant? You need to get out your digital multimeter or dmm and with the key off and the engine cool put the negative probe on the negative battery post, and put the positive probe in the coolant down in the radiator neck, Set the dmm to millivolts and check the reading, 200mv or less is good, 300 to 600mv is still o.k. but over 700mv the cooling system needs to be flushed. If the acid builds up too much it can damage the engine over time. Also, I use distilled water mixed 50/50 with anti freeze. Or just change it every couple years.