My 2000 Toyota Echo has the red engine temp light flashing. I checked the coolant container about an hour after I parked in the shade of my house. (95 degrees here today and I was driving on the highway...
a flashing check engine light (CEL) is a warning to stop driving-one that is on steady (not blinking) means something is wrong, but blinking is BAD-make sure it is completely cooled down, and fill the overflow/surge tank, start it up (use 50/50 antifreeze) and let it idle until the engine temp is all the way up-this can take 10-15 minutes, make sure the heater is on high temp setting and the fan is on-look at the temp gauge if it has one to see if it looks normal. If all looks good, fill the tank to the FULL mark (or a hair above it) and put the tank cap on tight. Drive the car for about 10 minutes, and pay attention to the temp gauge-if it looks good, and the engine is alright, the CEL probably with either not light or will go off by itself.
It is possible you did damage driving it with a flashing CEL, however-if so look for leaks, smoke out of the exhaust, poor running/performance, or more ominous signs of trouble like air bubbles in the overflow tank, oil in the antifreeze of antifreeze in the oil-aluminum engines do NOT tolerate overheating, if you ever see a high temp gauge and/or a flashing CEL-STOP and get it checked out, you will save yourself a lot of money being prudent.
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