My venture just started showing the warning light…red color has me leaving it parked in my laneway until I can figure out how serious it is. I’ve searched the Internet but not yet found an answer. Can anyone tell me what code means and whether I can drive or should tow it to repair shop. Thanks for the help.
Search ?
search the owner’s manual first.
Which…I thought I’d do for you at justgivemethedamnmanual.com but you left out one extremely important piece of the puzzle…
What year is this Venture ?
I’m looking in 03
I agree with ken green. Check the owners manual. My best guess is it’s the low fuel level light since it’s right on the fuel gauge but your fuel gauge indicates over half full. Can you approximate how much fuel is in your tank?
Maybe Yep, low fuel light. Get to a gas station and see how much fuel you add. Looks like your sender might be going bad.
Edit: As said below, check brake fluid level. I was wondering why you show red and not yellow.
I did an internet search and the consensus is that it is a low brake fluid light. It is not described in the Owner’s manual. Check your master cylinder reservoir level. As the brake pads wear the brake fluid reservoir level will drop.
Ed B.
…and take that Owner’s Manual out of the glove box and start to read it–perhaps for the first time.
If you were unaware of something as relatively trivial as a low fuel light, just imagine how many important things about your car, its controls, and its warning lights you are not familiar with.
I’m skeptical about the sender. The fuel gauge and the low fuel light disagree and they both operate from the same signal from the sender. I agree with insightful - fill your gas tank and how it affects the gauge and light.
It could be a warning light for fluids in general. If so I agree with edb1961 to check your brake fluid level. That’s a quickie. Usually, low brake fluid level would cause the “brake” warning light to come on, but who knows?
My guess is fuel gauge is accurate. I filled tank and drove it. The warning light eventually wen out and has stayed out.
“The fuel gauge and the low fuel light disagree and they both operate from the same signal from the sender.”
That’s certainly possible on this vehicle. On my Camry, they were two independent sensors.
If you’re still with us I’m curious as to how many gallons it took to fill it.
It took about a quarter of a tank. Gauge was pretty accurate.
FYI: I took in for servicing last week. All fluids checked. After light came on, I rechecked the fluids and looked for leaks under the car. Second thing I did was check service manual. The service manual (see attached for example of what appears in s.m.) for fuel is not the same as appeared in my previous post.
Thanks to many for valuable insights. I’ll update on my experience to fill the Internet void on this somewhat mysterious warning light.
“I took in for servicing last week. All fluids checked.” Just to be sure, open the hood and check the fluid levels yourself. I was driving my wife’s 98 Windstar when the “Brake” light started flickering during turns. The brake fluid was a little low, near the Add Fluid line but not below it. I added fluid the bring the level up to the Max line and the light never appeared again.
Ed B.
It seems odd to me that a low fuel light would be red which normally indicates a serious malfunction such as low oil pressure/brake problem, that requires immediate action rather than amber warning of low fuel/maintenance due that require action in the near future.
A circle with curved lines on each side is the symbol for brake. The image of liquid in the circle indicates fluid. Brake fluid warning.
In my '01 Cavalier if you run the fuel level low a “check gauges” light comes on in red. EDB1961 indicated that the fluids were just checked. I would agree he should check the brake fluid again.
Looks like a low brake fluid indicator to me. As to low fuel lamps, they’re usually on a separate circuit from the fuel gauge although located in the same pump module.
The low fuel lamp works through a thermobulb which changes resistance depending upon whether it’s immersed in gasoline or not.
Unbbelievable that they can’t even put “brake fluid” on the thing. Who would have guessed those were brake shoes on the outside of the circle. And the inside looks like a bat to me, if you see the glass half full vs half empty. Some of these icons are really silly-like the ones for high beams, low beams, and fogs. I understand they are multicultural but really what does it take to spell it out a little?
This still bothers me. Click on the original picture edbl1961 submitted to enlarge it. You’ll see on the empty and the full ends of the gas gauge the identical symbols without the brake shoes. This along with the fact that the lighted symbol is right in the middle of the gas gauge is what led me to believe it was for low fuel.
It is definitely a low brake fluid warning light. This is the standard internationally recognized symbol. I’ve attached a link to the international symbols for your perusal.
http://dashboardsymbols.com/the-symbols/
And a low brake fluid warning light illuminating is also a warning light telling you to get your brakes checked. It gets low because more of the fluid is now remaining in the calipers. More of the fluid is now remaining in the calipers because the pads are worn, leaving the pistons in the calipers more distended than if the pads were new.
Get your brakes checked.
I agree with @My 2 cents; it’s a low fuel warning.
Or you need to blow the ballast tanks and surface your submarine!!!
Yosemite