Another odd one that has been shared form time to time, is just the replacing of the radiator cap will sometimes fix an intermittent Warning/Check Engine light. If I read your post correctly, this has been a one time occurrence? (Well two, since you stopped the engine to go check the fluids.)
So maybe you'll be lucky and the next time you start up it will not repeat.
Oil Pressure, Temperature Sensors, Etc. - can also from time to time start slowly failing. When the engine gets to temp, sometimes these intermittent problems go away - and thus the light goes off.
I do suggest, that you do not do what my Older Sister did back in the early 70's. I stopped into visit her one day, and she asked me if I'd take a look at her car. Said it was making some noises and smelled a bit funny at times. So I go out, Dodge Dart with a 225 Stand Six, and start looking things over. Radiator = good; Fan belts = good; Before I went to start the engine and listened, I thought I should check the oil. NO OIL EVEN REGISTERED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE DIP STICK!. I got into the driver's seat to get her maintenance book, to see when she had had her last oil change. And as I'm sitting the driver's seat and glance towards the dash, I see a piece of black tape on the dash. Pulled it off, and it was over her engine warning light.... I calmly asked my sister to come out and let me share a few things with her. Showed her the dipstick, and where the oil should be between full and add a quart lines - and that no oil was being shown on the dipstick at all. I then asked her about this piece of tape I'd found on her dashboard. 'Oh that. Well this red light kept coming on, and at night it was distracting me. So I put some tape over it.'
A lady who is relatively smart in most areas, was just so clueless about cars. And I know our Dad showed her how to check all these things before he let her drive... in her early 20's, she'd forgotten all that he had taught her!!! (I added oil oil, and a heavy engine oil cleaner, and next day she drove it for the 45 mins I asked her to, then stopped to get a fresh oil change. I asked her to ask the tech, to add one more quart of oil after draining, to help do sort of a final flush of any thing that might have remained in the crank case.)
She drove that car another three years, and the friend she sold it to had well over 175K on that same engine - when he was T-Boned and the car was totaled. Amazed me the engined did not self destruct!!!
Old family story is now over
!
And the reason I brought it up, and bit of wisdom we all try to teach the children in our family - is to NEVER PUT TAPE OVER A WARNING LIGHT!!!
@!
OP- Best of luck, will follow the thread to see what you find out,
Smitty
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