I have a 1999 Cutlass with 52000 miles on it. It wasn’t driven much by my in-laws and had only about 13000 miles on it when we got it two years ago.
Recently, after starting the engine and driving it for less than 1000 feet, we’ll hear a “ding” and the coolant light will go on for about 5 seconds. Then it goes off and doesn’t come back on again until the next morning no matter how long we’ve driven it during the day. The car never overheats and it seems to have enough coolant according to the lines on the tank. This seems to be only a “cold engine” problem.
Any suggestions?
Every car has its own harmless quirks. If it were my car I’d be reminded to tell it each time, “Good morning to you too.” Or you can simply be aloof and disregard its daily greeting.
Just to be on the safe side, check to see that there is coolant in the radiator as well as the tank. I had a 1993 Oldmobile 88 where the hose connecting the overflow tank to the radiator acted as a check valve–it would allow water to flow into the reservoir, but the radiator couldn’t suck it back because the hose would collapse. This probably isn’t the problem in your case, but it only takes a minute to check to be certain.