Does the coolant sensor effect engine performance?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 169
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From: Haughton, LA
Does the coolant sensor effect engine performance? Or more precisely, does the PCM on our cars use data from the engine coolant temperature sensor to adjust performance factors in the engine?
The reason I ask is because I recently had to replace the sensor and the plug that connects to it. After replacement, the car ran properly until the engine heated up (about 10 miles), and then started missing and possibly detonating rather severely.
The temp gauge in the car was working properly, but when I connected autotap, it revealed that the PCM was reading the temperature at a value of -38F. <img src="images/icons/confused.gif" border="0"> I checked the wiring job I did when I wired the new plug for the sensor, and found that one of the three wires was not connected properly (copper wire came out of the butt connector). The way I understand it, one wire goes to the gauge, one to the PCM, and the third is a ground wire. In that case, it would seem that the wire going to the PCM is the one I found not connected properly, causing the PCM to default to the reading I found on autotap.
I rewired it, and I let it idle for 10 minutes or so to warm up and so far it seems fine.
Could the bad wiring for the coolant temp sensor have caused the problems with my engine performance, or is it something else?
The reason I ask is because I recently had to replace the sensor and the plug that connects to it. After replacement, the car ran properly until the engine heated up (about 10 miles), and then started missing and possibly detonating rather severely.
The temp gauge in the car was working properly, but when I connected autotap, it revealed that the PCM was reading the temperature at a value of -38F. <img src="images/icons/confused.gif" border="0"> I checked the wiring job I did when I wired the new plug for the sensor, and found that one of the three wires was not connected properly (copper wire came out of the butt connector). The way I understand it, one wire goes to the gauge, one to the PCM, and the third is a ground wire. In that case, it would seem that the wire going to the PCM is the one I found not connected properly, causing the PCM to default to the reading I found on autotap.
I rewired it, and I let it idle for 10 minutes or so to warm up and so far it seems fine.
Could the bad wiring for the coolant temp sensor have caused the problems with my engine performance, or is it something else?
