# Low Coolant Light on 2002 Chev Silverado

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** chevrolet, coolant, 1500\
**Created:** [May 2, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286 "2010-05-02T21:51:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Patio67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Patio67](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Patio67)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286/1 "2010-05-02T21:51:24Z")

</div>

In January, the low coolant light came on in my truck. I took it to the shop and they suggested I change the water pump, thermostat and upper and lower radiator hoses. Just the other day, the low coolant light came on again. I’m afraid to take it back and get more suggestions that I need to change. Has anyone had similar problems or suggestions on what I can look at to be the cause of the coolant leaking?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286/2 "2010-05-02T21:57:50Z")

</div>

On this year of GM with a V8? The intake manifold gaskets are the first thing that comes to mind.

Tester

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286/3 "2010-05-03T01:20:13Z")

</div>

GM really had a problem with the intake gaskets of this era. They have since been redesigned.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286/4 "2010-05-03T01:22:02Z")

</div>

I hope you didn’t follow those suggestions.

If your truck has a ‘low coolant’ sensor in the reservoir, check it.

Have you been losing coolant regularly?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![edb1961](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/edb1961/32/122_2.png) [@edb1961](https://community.cartalk.com/u/edb1961)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286/5 "2010-05-03T03:41:40Z")

</div>

When the intake manifold gasket started leaking on my 2000 Blazer, it was losing only a pint or so of coolant a month. At the next oil change, my mechanic found a small amount of coolant in the drained oil. He insisted I get the repair done as soon as possible, as the coolant will displace the oil from the main bearings. The dealer agreed to a 50/50 goodwill repair. This was in 2004 and the truck has not lost any coolant since.

Ed B.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Patio67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Patio67](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Patio67)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286/6 "2010-05-03T15:12:11Z")

</div>

The low coolant light came on in January, that’s when the repairs I mentioned were done. Now it just came on again Saturday, so that would be 3 months.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Patio67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Patio67](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Patio67)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/low-coolant-light-on-2002-chev-silverado/48286/7 "2010-05-03T15:21:21Z")

</div>

Thanks for all the replies, all your comments have been helpful and will make me and my husband less weary when dealing with the shop. Not being machanics, it’s hard to know whether you are being taken advantage of or not. We used to trust this shop, but had a bad experience about a month ago that’s made me cautious to ask them about this again.
