Temp sensor

[mykkk]

Hey guys, my temp sensor doesn't want to work! I've replaced the sensor with one that I think works and still no luck.

Its definately not the gauge because it didnt work even after I swapped my gauge cluster.

Any ideas how I can test why it isnt working?

[AndrE86]

check the wiring.. and the connectors maybe it had a little rust??

[Mux213]

yeah, sand the contacts on the connector and spray it with contact fluid or something. Also I found that the metal in the connector sometimes needs to be bend back into shape to make good contact with the sensor...

To check if the sensor works check the resistance of the sensor with an electric meter, the resistance should change as pressure is increased.

Also you might want to run a wire from your sensor to the dial on the dashboard and bypass the normal wire to see if that is broken.

But most likely its just your connector that is rusted/not making good contact.

[mykkk]

Ok i'll give it a go. Thx for the suggestions guys.

I just have everything working on the gauge and one of the most important ones, the temperature isn't working!

I hope its just the contact, otherwise I don't know wot I will do!!

[Ivan141]

You shure that youre using the right connector on the wiring loom...it sounds silly but I managed to swap those after installing the engine wiring on senna's hachi once.

[meshin]

I have that problem ... the nidle of water temp. just goes wild ... it's the wiring ...

[mykkk]

Mine doesn't go wild...
the needle just doesnt move. The gauge never moved when I first got the car and that was with the original gauge still in.

Thats why I don't think it is the wiring to the gauge or the gauge itself. (I'll have to test this if all of the below don't work.)

I'm gonna test the wire and connector first to see if there is any power there. According to the manual, I'm supposed to use a 3.4w test bulb and see if it lights. Can I just use a multimeter for this?

I am also going to test the resistance of the sensor and see if it decreases as the car warms up.

If none of the above solve the problem then I have no idea what to do. It's quite a crucial gauge!

I'm hoping that this is just because the connector isn't making good contact, but I doubt it

[jamiemirror]

mykkk Wrote:Mine doesn't go wild...
the needle just doesnt move. The gauge never moved when I first got the car and that was with the original gauge still in.

Thats why I don't think it is the wiring to the gauge or the gauge itself. (I'll have to test this if all of the below don't work.)

I'm gonna test the wire and connector first to see if there is any power there. According to the manual, I'm supposed to use a 3.4w test bulb and see if it lights. Can I just use a multimeter for this?

I am also going to test the resistance of the sensor and see if it decreases as the car warms up.

If none of the above solve the problem then I have no idea what to do. It's quite a crucial gauge!

I'm hoping that this is just because the connector isn't making good contact, but I doubt it

mykk, you can use multimeter.
If you cannot solve the problem - just buy new sensor and gauge (small gauge, maybe up to 60mm diameter) and use them - you must place the sensor anywhere but preferably as close to the spark plugs/combustion cameras as possible. The place near 4-th cylinder is preferable instead of 1-st cylinder one.

[mykkk]

I cleaned the connectors all nice and shiny (thx Andre and mux). I think that was one of the problems before. So I went and did that lightbulb test to see if the gauge moves (Thanks to the manual I downloaded from here).

The lightbulb lit and the gauge moved, so I'm guessing that the gauge and wiring is fine. The sensor is probably where the problem lies. Any other suggestions to what I should do?

Strictly speaking I didn't use a 3.4w bulb as it says in the manual, I just used one of the bulbs out of the gauge cluster. This shouldn't be a problem should it?

Cheers guys for all you input!


At the moment I would say it is the sensor, so if you guys agree, I will go get a new one from toyota.

[mykkk]

Another question: Do I have to rebleed the cooling system if I am changing the sensor?