Coolant temp sensor S4 Tll
Thread Starter
Full Member
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
From: Toronto
Coolant temp sensor S4 Tll
Gotta 87 Tll, and the coolant temp sensor...just downstream of the water pump.. has a single blade electrical connection....but hanging just above it is a dual blade (at 90 deg. to each other) in a very 'factory' looking white plastic fitting.
My temp guage barely comes off cold (wrong) so I go to the dealer for a new sensor and he hands me a dual blade sensor. When I tell him thats not what one the car he says he thinks there was another 'verson' that may have had a single blade.
Quick survey... Is your connection dual or single blade....I think the previous owner has messed with this thing to act as a switch for the condensor fan.
My temp guage barely comes off cold (wrong) so I go to the dealer for a new sensor and he hands me a dual blade sensor. When I tell him thats not what one the car he says he thinks there was another 'verson' that may have had a single blade.
Quick survey... Is your connection dual or single blade....I think the previous owner has messed with this thing to act as a switch for the condensor fan.
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 11,576
Likes: 27
From: Morristown, TN (east of Knoxville)
The actual water thermosensor, that the ecu uses to figure fuel correction, is the green 2 terminal rectangle plug on the back of the waterpump housing, below the alternator. A green plug on the harness connects to this.
The fan switch, used on automatic and turbo models (from what I recall, though some gxl's may have had it as well), is on the thermostat housing, about 3" down from the coolant cap. This just acts as a trigger for the auxiliary e-fan in front of the radiator. IT has no real bearing on how the car runs at temp, and can be removed (along with the fan) if desired.
The coolant temp sensor for the AWS is in the bottom of the radiator, and is a big hex sensor with 2 prongs sticking out. This also has no bearing on the running of the car, just tells the ecu whether or not to rev to 3krpm on startup based on coolant temp.
The coolant temp sensor for the dash temp gauge is in the back of the block under the oil filter, and is a single prong sensor with a small wire leading off the engine harness connecting to it.
The fan switch, used on automatic and turbo models (from what I recall, though some gxl's may have had it as well), is on the thermostat housing, about 3" down from the coolant cap. This just acts as a trigger for the auxiliary e-fan in front of the radiator. IT has no real bearing on how the car runs at temp, and can be removed (along with the fan) if desired.
The coolant temp sensor for the AWS is in the bottom of the radiator, and is a big hex sensor with 2 prongs sticking out. This also has no bearing on the running of the car, just tells the ecu whether or not to rev to 3krpm on startup based on coolant temp.
The coolant temp sensor for the dash temp gauge is in the back of the block under the oil filter, and is a single prong sensor with a small wire leading off the engine harness connecting to it.
Thread Starter
Full Member
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
From: Toronto
Thanks RR
Guess I saw what appeared to be an obvious water temp sensor. and assumed it provided all water temp information (including my guage). I mean...why just have one when you can have four.
So a failure on this sensor can't be contributing to my hot start problem, nor my temp guage problem.
Guess I saw what appeared to be an obvious water temp sensor. and assumed it provided all water temp information (including my guage). I mean...why just have one when you can have four.
So a failure on this sensor can't be contributing to my hot start problem, nor my temp guage problem.
ugly girls hurt my eyes
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: Newark,NJ
Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection
The actual water thermosensor, that the ecu uses to figure fuel correction, is the green 2 terminal rectangle plug on the back of the waterpump housing, below the alternator. A green plug on the harness connects to this.
The fan switch, used on automatic and turbo models (from what I recall, though some gxl's may have had it as well), is on the thermostat housing, about 3" down from the coolant cap. This just acts as a trigger for the auxiliary e-fan in front of the radiator. IT has no real bearing on how the car runs at temp, and can be removed (along with the fan) if desired.
The coolant temp sensor for the AWS is in the bottom of the radiator, and is a big hex sensor with 2 prongs sticking out. This also has no bearing on the running of the car, just tells the ecu whether or not to rev to 3krpm on startup based on coolant temp.
The coolant temp sensor for the dash temp gauge is in the back of the block under the oil filter, and is a single prong sensor with a small wire leading off the engine harness connecting to it.
The fan switch, used on automatic and turbo models (from what I recall, though some gxl's may have had it as well), is on the thermostat housing, about 3" down from the coolant cap. This just acts as a trigger for the auxiliary e-fan in front of the radiator. IT has no real bearing on how the car runs at temp, and can be removed (along with the fan) if desired.
The coolant temp sensor for the AWS is in the bottom of the radiator, and is a big hex sensor with 2 prongs sticking out. This also has no bearing on the running of the car, just tells the ecu whether or not to rev to 3krpm on startup based on coolant temp.
The coolant temp sensor for the dash temp gauge is in the back of the block under the oil filter, and is a single prong sensor with a small wire leading off the engine harness connecting to it.
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 11,576
Likes: 27
From: Morristown, TN (east of Knoxville)
the fan switch is the thing at the bottom of the radiator with the 2 prongs
After the explanation I just posted, I;m not sure what else needed to be said...but it certainly wasn't this. You could have added that the level sensor was on top of the radiator, and that would have been fine.
