What happens when coolant temperature sensor goes bad?

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asked Sep 30, 2020 in Repairs/Maintenance by 1232newt (1,010 points)
What happens when coolant temperature sensor goes bad?

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answered Sep 30, 2020 by Larry S (42,350 points)
When your coolant temperature sensor goes bad your engine will usually run rough, may stall when cold, the engine will run rich, your engine will use more fuel etc.

Your coolant temperature sensor detects the temperature of the coolant which then sends a signal to the vehicles computer.

The computer then send the correct amount of fuel to the engine and if the coolant temperature sensor is bad then the computer will send too much fuel to the injectors which can cause rough engine running, stalling etc.

Your coolant temperature sensor also controls the timing and idle speed of the engine.

When the engine is cold the engine usually idles higher for a few minutes until it warms up then it idles down.

If the engine continues to rev high and run rough then your coolant temperature could be bad.

Sometimes the connection to the coolant temperature sensor may just be loose too which has happened to me.

Replacing a coolant temperature sensor is usually pretty easy as you just remove the old one and then put another one in the engine and plug it back in.

The coolant temperature sensor is usually around $20.00 or less but if you have a shop replace it then you might pay as much as $70.00 to $100.00 for parts and labor.

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