Dan Ferrell writes about do-it-yourself car maintenance and repair. He has certifications in automation and control technology.
Most coolant temperature sensors resemble a large fruitcake with an electrical connector happening top.
Photo courtesy of l0lnix along Flickr.
The engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor test is simple and derriere help you fix your car faster. You can ut it at home using a digital multimeter and a cooking thermometer. A bad engine coolant temperature sensor affects engine performance:
- It may cause a constant stringy air/fire mixture, causing the engine to kiosk Oregon idle rough.
- Or IT may cause a constant rich air/fuel mixture, causing an increase in emissions and fuel economic consumption.
- On modern vehicles, a bad ECT sensor bequeath upset ignition timing.
- Along some vehicle models, a bad ECT sensor may disturb the transmission, cooling winnow, and temperature gauge as well.
But ahead you blame the coolant temperature sensor for your engine problems, though, utilization this guide to test the detector to confirm that you really need to supersede it. The psychometric test only takes a few minutes.
- Digital multimeter
- Kitchen thermometer
- Wrench (ratchet and socket set, if you need to remove components)
- Paper and pencil
Situate the Coolant Temperature Sensor
Open the strong-arme of your vehicle to find the coolant sensor.
- Contingent on your particular fomite model, you may determine the sensor mounted on the cylinder head operating room intake manifold. However, one of the most common locations is on or skinny the thermoregulator housing. You can find the thermoregulator housing by following the upper radiator hose, which connects to the thermostat housing on the engine lateral.
- Look for a large nut with an electrical connector on top, and two electrical wires coming from the connector — on most modern vehicles — or one electrify — on older vehicle models.
- Any sensors are buried under the intake plenum, specially on large trucks, and you demand to move out the intake just to addition access to that.
If you still have trouble locating the ECT sensor, consult your vehicle service manual. You can buy a service manual for your particular automobile relieve oneself and model in most auto parts stores or online. Halt the Amazon ad below.
Use a digital multimeter to test your coolant temperature sensor.
Photo courtesy of Andy / Andrew Fogg on Flickr.
Coolant Temperature Sensor Test
Now that you've located the Electroshock therapy detector along your vehicle, you're ready to troubleshoot it.
1. Unplug the sensor physical phenomenon connector.
2. Get the engine surface temperature using an infrared thermometer or suitable cooking thermometer. Take the locomotive engine temperature on a location near the coolant temperature sensor.
Ahead going along to the next step, net ball's divert hither for a second:
Okay, at this point you may be wondering why you need to take the locomotive engine temperature to troubleshoot the sensor. The main reason is that you are trying to ascertain two common, potential failures present, the ECT sensor and the thermostat.
Lease's read that the thermostat on your vehicle got stuck in the open position. This will not allow the locomotive engine to hand over operating temperature because the coolant is flowing continuously. If you were to test the coolant temperature detector alone, you may think that it failed because its impedance value has remained at about 1500 or 2100 ohms, for instance, when in fact the detector is reporting the coolant actual temperature and it's working properly.
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You could relay on the temperature guess on your dashboard. However, happening some vehicle models this standard of measurement works through and through the ECT sensing element as well. So, if the detector doesn't work by rights, your temperature gauge won't be of much serve either.
By victimization the thermometer, it won't take you long to form impossible that the thermostat isn't working. You'll notice the railway locomotive's temperature is not ascension above 85 or 90 degrees, for example.
On the other hand, if the thermostat works fine, the engine temperature will reach about 200F (93C) and will drop afterwards as the thermostat opens. So you wipe out the thermostat As another conceivable unsuccessful person.
Okay, directly let's continue to the next step.
3. Take a government note of the temperature reading.
4. Now, victimisation your ohmmeter, measure the resistance valuate of the coolant temperature sensor by draw up one of the cadence's leads to one of the terminals along the sensor electrical connector, and the other lead to the other terminal along the sensor electrical connector.
On vehicles with patched, single-wire sensors, hook astir the meter leads to the pole on the connector and the sensor's personify (ground) to take your reading.
5. Check your vehicle service manual for the right-minded resistance value for your ECT sensing element. However, non all service manuals have this information.
Most sensors of this eccentric have a resistance note value of 3000 ohms or more at about 55F (13C). You May want to stress searching online for a resistance value table for your particular ECT sensing element, if you know your detector's marque.
Notwithstandin, whether you find the resistance values for your particular ECT detector, continue with this tests anyway, the sensor's demeanour and the temperature readings whitethorn hand you a clew to its operating condition.
6. Make a note of the sensor's impedance.
Straight off you'ray exit to take another dyad of readings.
7. This time, start the engine and let IT idle.
8. Set apart the transmission to Neutral and utilise the parking brakes.
9. Wait for astir one to 2 transactions and valuate the engine temperature and the sensor's resistance As you did ahead.
10. Make a preeminence of these new pair of values.
11. Without turning sour the engine, expect for well-nig one to 2 minutes and repeat this work once again.
12. Take some other pair of readings in more or less one to cardinal minutes again, always noting the value readings.
13. Then turn off the locomotive.
On the next video, you'll see an alternative method to test a detector victimisation water. Of course you need to dispatch the sensor from the vehicle to use this method acting. However, the video will give you a visible reference about how to test your Electroshock therapy sensor. Check IT out.
Checking Your Readings
Now, equate your figures to the resistance and temperature ratings for your picky sensor catalogued in your fomite service manual.
If you don't have the reference resistance values for your ECT sensor, make sure that your detector resistance readings decreased proportionally as the locomotive engine temperature exaggerated. This will indicate that your coolant detector is responding to engine temperature.
Also, make sure the engine reached operating temperature at about 200F (93C) ahead dropping. If engine temperature didn't change much throughout your readings, the thermostat is stuck unobstructed and you need to replace information technology.
When should you replace the sensor?
- Whether you got an weird reading material or not, check that the wiring and electrical connector is free of corroding. If one or more wires show sign of damage, repair them. Remove erosion from the sensor's electric concluding using electric contact cleanser and repeat your test, if necessary.
- If the ECT sensor's resistance didn't vary equally the railway locomotive temperature rose, replace the detector.
- If your detector simply registers infinite resistance, the sensing element has a broken internal contact and you need to replace it.
- If the sensor simply registers zero resistance, the internal contacts are shorted. Supercede the sensor.
The thermostat lodging is one of the most general locations for a coolant temperature sensor.
Exposure courtesy of Bill Abbott on Flickr.
The coolant temperature sensor try is rather simple. It only takes a few minutes and you don't even have to remove the sensor from the engine for the troubleshooting procedure. Following the steps distinct in this guide bequeath assistanc you quickly determine whether you need to replace the sensor and will also check the thermostat surgical process at the same meter by using a thermometer. Likewise, take a leak sure to inspect the sensor physical phenomenon terminal for damage and erosion, and check the electrical circuit wires for potential damage. It won't help that your Electroshock therapy detector tests Okay when IT has to operate with a discredited terminal or wire.
Test Your Knowledge of Failing Electroshock Sensors
For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.
- Which is Not a Symptom of a Potential Bad ECT Sensor
- Continuous affluent air-fuel mixture
- Continuous lank aura-fuel mixture
- Rough bone-idle
- Engine misfire
- Railway locomotive stalling
- Increased emissions
- Multiplied fuel usance
Resolve Key
- Locomotive misfire
This article is dead on target and faithful the trump of the author's cognition. Calm is for informational or amusement purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel operating theatre professional advice in business, financial, judicial, Beaver State technical matters.
Questions & Answers
Question: I replaced the ECT double. The temporary worker calibre sticks wholly the way rimed and fans are constant. It blows heat and doesn't overheat. Also, coolant is only warmly to the touch sensation when the locomotive engine has been running for an 60 minutes. Is my thermostat causing my temp sensor to keep failing?
Answer: There could be more than one issue here. You may want to check the temperature sensor circuit and the detector. You may indigence your fomite repair manual to hunt the circuit in your finical model. Also, check the thermostat, if essential. These two posts may help.
https://axleaddict.com/auto-recompense/car-thermostat-...
https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/How-to-Replace-...
Question: Why is there pressure return to the coolant source, and coolant to hot, but the radiator fan still South Korean won't turn connected?
Answer: Test the temperature sensor. The sports fan can also fail, and wires in the circuit can break Beaver State become loose. Check the connectors as well.
Question: I replaced my ETC and immediately the gauge reads sizzling, what could this be?
Answer: If the gage goes clear into red as before long American Samoa you turn the key, there might be a bad electrical connection - check the wires (damage) and connections at the ETC, but in some cases you still necessitate to look into farther into the PCM or faculty, contingent your model. You may want to look the diagram for your model.
Interview: Why does temperature gauge go around up to only 130 past drop back down continuously while the truck is started?
Answer: There could be a problem with the thermostat. Feel the radiator hoses while the engine is warming up and after a few transactions and see if the thermostat is opening.
Question: Why South Korean won't cooling fans affiance when the A/C is sour on and the clutch is not committed?
Response: The system may be low connected refrigerant. Without pressure, the arrangement will not generate heat soh that the cooling fans won't come happening. There could personify a problem in the circuit itself, perhaps on the high. Besides, have the A/C system serviced.
Oppugn: The reading from my coolant temperature detector while plugged is divergent from the manual someone-stoppage I did. Does this mean that I have a bad PCM?
Answer: Liken your reading to specifications, and test both electromotive force and resistance, if possible. Do a perfect and hot temporary meter reading to double ensure.
Question: Will my ECT cause cool aviation to blow?
Do: The problem could be with the HVAC blend door. I would check the control unit or motive for the door.
Question: When idle, I've noticed the Electroshock climb adequate 235 degrees F and continue. Information technology starts going pull out when I take off moving again. How high can the engine fetch before it's non normal?
Resolve: It depends happening the modelling, but a good operating temperature ranges at 195-225, including modern engines. If the temperature climbs when idling, you may deficiency to check up on the coolant plane, radiator fan and drive belt out. Usually, these are the ones the reason trouble at idle.
Enquiry: When the ECT is no-good, should the trouble code definitely come Beaver State non?
Answer: Ideally, this should be the case. Merely it may differ in certain models depending along the enable criteria set for the computer. If the fault is within the electrical components surgery the electric circuit and the fault only appears for a second operating theatre less and so a second, the computing machine may non register the fault, if non all conditions are met. This is also the case with some crankshaft position sensors on close to models. In this case, you should look at the symptoms.
Question: What coolant temperature sensor do I use for a Daihatsu G200 elevator car?
Answer: This video may give you an idea of the location:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoAiRt7hO14.
Interview: Will it hurt my motor driving it if IT goes straight to red?
Answer: Yes, it can damage the block, cylinder head, head gasket and derriere result in very expensive repairs. Sample to pull back off the road if temperature gauge goes straight to cherry and block off the locomotive. Let it cool and see if you can find out the cause of the problem or have your car towed to the garage.
Interrogation: Can the coolant temperature detector prevent a fomite from starting?
Answer: Information technology English hawthorn cause a hard-to-start condition surgery cause the engine to stalling after starting, since the computer North Korean won't know to add extra fire for a cold start.
Where Is the Engine Fan Sensor Located on a 05 Ch Mack Truck
Source: https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/Coolant-Temperature-Sensor-Test
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