The light came on looks like a pipe of some sort and the screen keeps saying coolant low.

It's actually a message. It will say "Low coolant level" or "Check coolant level" . Hard to miss. Anyway, the sensor is in and part of the coolant reservoir. If the sensor isn't working, you need to replace the reservoir.

You have lost coolant in the engine and most likely will need a head gasket. the reason that the temp. gauge is lying is because it cannot read hot air. it has been mounted in a location where when you lose fluid it finds itself reading a pocket of air and cannot read the accurate temperature of the motor as it is designed to read the temperature of liquids. I am afraid that you will have to go the shop route. There are low budget alternatives with some specialized chemicals, but even those need to be carried out by a qualified mechanic so as to not create bigger problems.

if the raid and the reservoir are both filled you might just have a bad level sensor put a jump across the connector and see if the light goes out

Low coolant doesnt have anything to do with the thermostat. If the coolant bottle was over filled, it will push out, it needs some air space. only fill it to the full line. If the low coolant light is on, but its not really low, the sensor may be bad. Be sure to use the correct coolant DEXCOOL.

either you havent flushed the cooling system out properly ,or the oil cooler has packed up ,their is a oil cooler radiator of sorts that the oil filter screws onto ,these often leak ,just remove the water pipes and join them together with a small piece of copper pipe ,then if you see oil coming out of the water pipes fit a new cooler

SOUNDS LIKE YOU MAY HAVE AIR BLOCK, OR A STICKING THERMOSTAT,CHECK FIRST CHECK THE HIGHT OF THE HEATER MATRIX IN THE CAB , IF ITS HIGHER THAN THE FILLER/EXPANSION TANK. THEN COULD BE AN AIR LOCK, LOOK FOR THE HIGHEST PIPE AND SEE IF THERE IS A BLEED VALVE, IF NOT TAKE BOTH PIPES OFF THE MATRIX FEEDS (TWO PIPES GOING FROM ENGINE BAY TO INSIDE OF CAR, AND FLUSH OUT WITH HOSE TO SEE IF IT IS BLOCKED, AND RECONNECT LOWEST PIPE FIRST AND FILL SYSTYM TILL WATER APPEAR FROM TOP AND RECONNECT RUN MOTOR, AND KEEP TOPIN UP, IF YOU LOSE WATER AFTER THAT THEN COULD BE THERMOSTAT, OR MORE SERIOUS

where the coolant is going and why the gauges go nuts are probably not the same problem. sounds like your gauges have a problem with the ground side connection to power. you could look at the negative battery post and see if it is really gunked up, might as well check the positive side while you are looking. if the battery posts get oxidized pretty much everything gets a not so great connection but gauges are one of few places you notice it. the car only runs off the battery at startup or if momentarily car is using more amperage than alternator can provide, but current runs through battery from alternator so bad connection there will cause whole system to function less than optimum. in the cooling system one component you don't mention replacing is the heater core. you say the coolant is not on the ground, so where can it be? pull your oil dipstick and see if your oil looks like oil. if it looks like vaseline, kinda white and creamy, you just figured out where your coolant went and you have a blown head gasket. hope that's not it, it's sort of a hassle. there aren't too many other places for the coolant to go. it either runs on the ground, boils off against the hot block, like if it comes out near an exhaust manifold (and that makes quite an odor) or gets into the oil through blown head gasket. it can make it into the passenger compartment through a leaky heater core and if that happens you will smell a sort of sweet smell in the car and after while get a green cast to condensation inside windows. hope that helps.

The valve cover gaskets will leak and cause the exhaust manifolds to smoke. You will notice it when you park car or at a stop light.

Hi. ok, the low coolant light is a bad sign. this can be a minor leak in many areas on the engine. i would ask the dealer about the service record on the coolant system. you will want to know when the last radiator flush was preformed as well as, when was the last thermostat replacement was done. next, ask the dealer for an accident record. this can be done online on carfacts.com but, the dealer should do this. if he is hesitant, don't buy this vehicle. I would also do a lemon test. Look at the tail pipe and rub the inside of this pipe with the tip of your finger. if its black and smells like rich gas/oil mixture, it will need a re-haul soon. one more thing, when driving, pay attention to the way the steering reacts to your command. if its lose, its not good. check all light functions as well.

Hi. ok, the low coolant light is a bad sign. this can be a minor leak in many areas on the engine. i would ask the dealer about the service record on the coolant system. you will want to know when the last radiator flush was preformed as well as, when was the last thermostat replacement was done. next, ask the dealer for an accident record. this can be done online on carfacts.com but, the dealer should do this. if he is hesitant, don't buy this vehicle. I would also do a lemon test. Look at the tail pipe and rub the inside of this pipe with the tip of your finger. if its black and smells like rich gas/oil mixture, it will need a re-haul soon. one more thing, when driving, pay attention to the way the steering reacts to your command. if its lose, its not good. check all light functions as well.