Hello! I have a 2002 1.3 KA

Yesterday when I was driving to work the warning light came on for the temperature? (I had the heating on and it was pretty cold outside... not sure if that makes a difference?) but it went off after about a minute. The same happened on the way home... and again it went off after about a minute?

Not sure what the problem could be, or if It is a serious issue? All of the fluids seem to be ok!

Any help would be much appreciated, not sure if there is any common problems?
I'm pretty worried it could be an expensive job? And not sure if it needs to go to a garage?
Thank you!

Sjdeakin, October 2011

The coolant warning light is controlled by the engine ECU based on info from the coolant temp sensor.

I would suspect that the thermostat is sticking or just slow to operate, so the water temp inside the engine just for a short time exceeded the preset normal limit and the ECU put the light ON, then when the thermostat opened the water was being cooled by the radiator, the temerature dropped and the light was turned OFF.

The thermostat is a cheap and easy to replace item.

nigel, October 2011