Dumb Sensor Wire Question

123c · Post by **123c** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 3:32 am

I finally got around to cleaning all the contacts on the sensors on my engine, in attempt to get the CEL to stop coming on, and in the process, I found one of the senor wires has some of the insulation stripped off of it, however, it doesn't come in contact with anything else. Would this cause the CEL to come on, and is it ok to keep it this way for a while, and if I should fix it, what would be the easiest way to do so...

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 3:48 am

Which sensor and which wire on the sensor are you talking about?

If it occasionally shorts to ground when the engine vibrates or rocks on its mounts that could cause a CEL.

What codes did you get when you read the CEL codes?

123c · Post by **123c** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:48 am

Right now it's coming up with a bunch of codes for the CEL, one of them is the O2 sensor, which I replaced, so I think I need to reset the ECU again, since I all of my attempts have failed for some reason. I will need to check and see which sensor it is, but its the one towards the back of the engine that has one wire, and it's next to another one with two wires...

123c · Post by **123c** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:52 am

I also have been smelling Raw fuel at start up...

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:55 am

I think the sensor you're talking about is the coolant temperature sender. The 1-wire one is just for the gauge and has nothing to do with the ECU.

What method are you trying to reset the ECU?

123c · Post by **123c** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:00 am

Disconnecting the battery for an hour, reconnecting it and running it for about 15 minutes then turning it off...

When I first got the car, the CEL would come on and off, and ran a tank of bottle of Techron, and it stopped coming on period for about 1,000 miles, then all of the sudden when the temps dropped in November it just came back on and stays on.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:04 am

Try disconnecting it, pressing the brake pedal for 30 seconds, and then reconnecting it.

123c · Post by **123c** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:05 am

I've never pressed the brake pedal for 30 seconds, I only pump it a few times, maybe that's what I havn't been doing right.

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:59 am

Knock sensor!

Its the only sensor that has a single wire and could cause a cel, the coolant temp with one wire is the dash gauge.

123c · Post by **123c** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:03 am

ciper wrote:Knock sensor!

Its the only sensor that has a single wire and could cause a cel, the coolant temp with one wire is the dash gauge.

That was one of the codes that came up...

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 3:44 pm

The knock sensor is on the rear driver side of the block. It's just a little cylindrical thing with one bolt going through it and one wire coming off it. Check the color of the plastic on its 1-wire electrical harness connector. If it's gray, replace the sensor with a redesigned one (the redesigned ones have white connectors).

If it's white, you still may need to replace it if it's throwing codes, but it might be better to first try removing it, cleaning the area underneath and around it, and reinstalling it snugly.

The coolant sensors are on the driver side, but up a little higher since they're mounted in the water manifold. The ECU sender (brown 2-pin connector) and the gauge sender (1-pin spade connector, I think) are right next to each other.

123c · Post by **123c** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:58 pm

My knock sensors connector is gray, so I should probally replace it. However, I will clean up the area around it first and see if that will fix it...

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:02 pm

I'd say don't bother reinstalling the same sensor if it's the old design. It has a known fault where the wire cracks and it starts intermittently not working right. You might as well get a new one (part number 22060AA031, ~$50 list, ~$35 from a good discount dealer) to reinstall when you clean the contact area.

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 1:57 am

Its true, its not so easy to tighten the thing down and the old design all eventually fail.

When you get the new one I suggest sanding the surface of the block and the sensor.

123c · Post by **123c** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 6:26 am

ciper wrote:Its true, its not so easy to tighten the thing down and the old design all eventually fail.

When you get the new one I suggest sanding the surface of the block and the sensor.

It took me about 5 minutes to get the sensor back in, but when I get the new sensor, it will only take me minute, because I figured out a trick for getting it tightened...

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 7:14 am

Tell us!

123c · Post by **123c** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 7:20 am

I just used one of those magnetic wands to get the bolt into place, and tightened the sensor down.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 3:59 pm

Yeah, those magnetic pickup thingies can be very useful.

Also, these "magic fingers" type tools can be really useful:

They're like u-joints, so you can grip a nut or the head of a bolt with the tip, aim it into position, and start threading it on by twisting the shaft. And, if it gets cross-threaded and starts to bind, the fingers will slip instead of allowing it to cross-thread!

DOA · Post by **DOA** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 9:43 pm

Or even some grease in the socket

. Glad to hear someone else is having a ball with their knock sensor

. By the way, to reset the ECU look under your dash for 2 black connectors and 2 green connectors that are disconnected. Connect them both, turn the ignition to the setting before cranking the engine, plant your foot on the throttle for at least 10 seconds, release the throttle to half way for a second or 2 and then release it and crank the engine up. Now go for a drive and in a minute or so and the CEL will start flashing regularly at you. At this point you can then disconnect the connectors and go back home, job done (at least till the next time the knock sensor goes ape

.

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Dumb Sensor Wire Question

Dumb Sensor Wire Question