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Engine coolant sensor...

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Old 01-24-2006, 01:10 AM
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Default Engine coolant sensor...

Hey all... I need to replace the temperature sensor on my engine block, the one that tells my rad fans to turn on... I was wondering if when I pull that sensor out, will I have coolant spraying out at me, or just a trickle? Any thoughts aside from draining my coolant?
Old 01-24-2006, 01:34 AM
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Default Re: Engine coolant sensor...

Originally Posted by Cyric78
Hey all... I need to replace the temperature sensor on my engine block, the one that tells my rad fans to turn on... I was wondering if when I pull that sensor out, will I have coolant spraying out at me, or just a trickle? Any thoughts aside from draining my coolant?
well if you do it when the car has been off and the pressure has dissipated in the cooling system then it should be a small stream of coolant coming out when you remove the sensor. either way the coolant sensors on these cars are evil and strategically placed by gm to be hard to get to and replace
Old 01-24-2006, 02:05 AM
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Ya...
the coolent sensors on these cars suck.
the one on my 89 never worked, but the 91 has had 2 already... :?
Old 01-24-2006, 02:55 AM
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i just removed mine to take off an engine bracket...

i lost maybe 1/4 cup of coolant cuz i stuck my finger in the hole between the removal and installation...and yes the engine smoked and complained of burnt coolant on the crossover for a couple min...... no biggie
Old 01-24-2006, 09:33 AM
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Yeah, thats what I figured... I'm just going to try to take off as much as I can to get that sensor in and out as painlessly as possible... I'm hoping once thats done, my major problems are solved... I'm crossing my fingers that its the sensor thats stopping my fans from working.. I've replaced alot of the wiring harness under the hood that the previous owner messed up when trying to make the fans run constant, yet they still don't work, and this is the last thing to replace...
Old 01-24-2006, 09:35 AM
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Honestly...I used a vacuum hose into my radiator to siphon off a little coolant and lost every little.

Better route might be...are you sure it'* the sensor and not a sticky relay?
Old 01-24-2006, 09:40 AM
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Would a relay do that? cause both of my fans to not work? I do have all 3 relays from a 130k km donor car, so chances are they are good...
Old 01-24-2006, 09:45 AM
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I learned about relays and fans and ac on my 95. None of it worked when I got the car.

I replaced the sensor before checking the relay. still didn't work.

Pulled the relays off the connectors and they looked fine, bench tested on a small 12V power supply I have..they worked.., put them in..magic..stuff started working.

Now whenever I pull a connector apart, I add a dab of dielectric grease to keep the contacts clean and connect and disconnect 5-10 times to clean the contacts.

So far so good.
Old 01-24-2006, 09:48 AM
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Well, I think I'm going to try that... I hope its that simple... maybe that is the same issue that I have with my power door locks and power seats (and whatever else is related to them...)
Old 01-24-2006, 10:58 AM
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Had my car parked on the beach once and the next day the Radio and power windows went out.
Pulled the fuse, looked good, put it back in and they are working since.
corroded contacts can be avoided with dielectric like
Bill said.


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