Hello all. OK. I have been getting a check engine light and a red lightning bolt on dash. I took it to autozone and it says it is the battery and thermostat. I changed out the thermostat stat and am doing the battery tonight. But after the thermostat was changed out the code is still coming out. why is that? Also, I see small stains at the front of the car when i park, i smelled it and it is antifreeze. But i cannot see any visible leaks from radiator or thermostat housing. hopefully the battery takes care of the red lightning bolt. any advice would be great. thx
Let us know. The only Engine Lights on my 2010 SRT are from a BAD CAT (I H8 Cats) I am not about to pay $1500 for a single CAT as I don't have to do emission testing here.
I have noticed the bolt comes out when it is really cold. Last few weeks its been between 19-25 in the mornings. This morning it was 40 and no bolt. hmmmmm. It is leaking antifreeze from somewhere because I see small stains on ground.
Legendary70, I have no idea if this will help with your Challenger but no harm in mentioning it. I was getting strong coolant stink from my 2001 Trans Am earlier this year. No signs of anything. When I first went to my mechanic, he smelled it too but could not verify where it was coming from and didn't want to start throwing $$$ at the car. There was almost no coolant loss either but the smell was obvious. A few months later I noticed the coolant level down for the first time. Back at the shop he could detect dried coolant stains on the water pump. It was seeping out but drying before it hit the ground. When he removed the water pump he felt that it was definitely the culprit. No issues since and that includes a recent 2,200 miles trip to the FL Keys.
If there's coolant on the ground there is a leak somewhere. The only other reason would be if some of the coolant that poured out when you replaced the thermostat was laying in puddles on the frame rail and/or other cavities of the engine bay and started dripping down while you drove the car. Otherwise, monitor the coolant level and keep looking. Like NC20RT, I had a hose connection once (different car) that only leaked a small spray of coolant when the engine was cold. It would stop when at normal temp and then the coolant would burn off while driving. It would smell when you got out of the car but you couldn't find the leak. Took me a few months to find that one. I should of just had it pressure tested to begin with. Remember, beside the thermostat, the temp sensor could be going bad. No sure the thunderbolt warning light is the battery. Charging system warning lights are usually a sketch of a battery. From what I found, your light relates to the electronic throttle circuit if the light looks like the one from this site: https://warningsigns.net/dodge-char...ger-electronic-throttle-control-warning-light
Nvrmnd found it. I did not get the code and of course the red bolt is gone. has not shown up in a few days. If i just replaced the thermostat...why still the code for it? do i need to reset it by removing the negative terminal? thx Also the temp needle on dash. what is the normal temp it should be at? under normal driving conditions? thx
Codes do have to be re-set from my prior experiences with other cars. I am not sure how it is done with a Challenger but I doubt you have to go to a dealership. I had a Corvette code reset by an auto parts store once. It think it was Auto-Zone. It's been awhile. Hopefully someone else will chime in to tell you how to remove it.
From my experience, Auto Zone and Advanced Auto have instructed their employees NOT to clear trouble codes on customer cars due to possible liability issues. If that thermostat was purchased at an auto parts store that will scan customer cars, you might be able to talk them into clearing your code to see if the part you bought from them resolved the problem. Naturally, proof of purchase required. It worked for me twice.
ok. Thank you. I actually use the Zerex G05. I was told on a dodge forum and at autozone that is good in replacing the mopar one? One more thing. This is weird. Ok after the thermostat was changed I metioned i would see puddles of antifreeze on the ground. that was for the first few days. Now there is nothing. no puddles and no more red bolt. hmmmmm Not sure if the bleed hole on thermostat was placed at the 6 o clock position...does this matter?
