One of the vehicle engine control systems that monitors the temperature of the radiator coolant is the coolant temp sensor. The coolant temperature sensor works flawlessly by using an electrical circuit to monitor the coolant temperature. A change in the car’s mileage, an illuminated check engine, black smoke pouring from the exhaust system, and indications of engine overheating are all signs of a bad coolant temp sensor.
To function correctly, your vehicle’s engine must remain within a specific temperature range. On the other hand, your engine may get overheated and destroyed if the temperature rises too high. To do this, your car uses a fluid known as “coolant” to regulate the engine’s temperature. This coolant may also become extremely hot; therefore, it should be constantly checked. The coolant temperature sensor is to thank for it.
When a vehicle becomes older, the engine coolant temperature sensor may become damaged or defective due to wear and tear. If this occurs, you must get your vehicle diagnosed by a qualified technician and the issue resolved. In this post, we will guide you through the symptoms of a malfunctioning coolant temp sensor, as well as provide you with a list of additional information about the coolant temp sensor.
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How an ECTS (Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor) Works
An engine coolant temperature sensor, also known as an ECTS (electronic coolant temperature sensor), is intended to provide information to the car’s computer about how hot the engine is running. This data is then utilized to make precise changes to the computer’s operating system, which has an impact on engine performance.
Adjustments are then made to the pulse width of each fuel injector, which is responsible for regulating the fuel mixture and the cam timing and ignition advance. The ultimate outcome of the engine’s power output and fuel efficiency capabilities is determined by the combination of these three adjustments:
The computer controls the temperature sensor or temperature warning light in the vehicle based on the coolant sensor’s data. If the sensor is not working correctly, the gauge reading will be either too cold or too hot, or the warning light will be on all of the time. The coolant sensor’s placement is intended to monitor the engine’s coolant temperature where it is the hottest.
It is typically around the combustion chambers or at the top coolant hose outlet. The coolant temperature sensor is made up of a metal casing filled with a composite material that changes the resistance of its internal circuit when the engine temperature rises or drops, as shown in the illustration.
Read our full article on How Often should you change your car’s Fuel Filter.
Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Coolant Temperature
Every mechanical part in your car produces symptoms to alert the driver when it fails, and this is no exception. A coolant temperature sensor failure may manifest itself as the following symptoms before it progresses to a more serious car repair for your gearbox or engine:
Engine Light Checking
An indication of a possible issue with the coolant temperature sensor is the illumination of the Check Engine Light on the dashboard. For some vehicles, if the computer identifies an issue with the sensor’s signal or circuit, it will illuminate the Check Engine Light on certain cars. As long as the problem isn’t resolved, the Check Engine Light will stay on.
In engine management, the ECTS is among the most significant sensors since the data from this sensor is used in a number of computations that have an impact on the engine’s performance. As a result, if you suspect a problem with your coolant temperature sensor, get your car examined by a competent technician. You can trust them to analyze your car and decide if you need to repair your cooling system’s coolant temperature control switch.
Hard Start at Certain Temperatures
A malfunctioning sensor may sometimes cause a complex start situation, despite the fact that it is not as frequent as other symptoms of a badtemperature sensor. Typically, this issue will only manifest itself while a vehicle’s engine is operating at a certain temperature, either hot or cold, according to the manufacturer.
The majority of the time, this is the consequence of a sensor that continuously reads high temperatures, even while the engine is really cooling down. A poor state is usually created as a consequence, which dramatically increases the time it takes to crank the machine.
Engine Overheating
When the coolant engine temperature sensor fails, the engine overheats, which is one of the most serious symptoms. Even while some cars include an auxiliary sensor that regulates fan operation, the overwhelming majority of makes and models depend on the coolant temperature sensor to keep this function operational.
Engine fan failure is frequent when this kind of engine coolant temperature sensor fails since it results in the vehicle’s engine fan being rendered non-operational. As a consequence, engine temperatures begin to rise, putting additional components in danger of damage.
Poor Fuel Economy
One of the first signs of trouble with the bad ECTS is low fuel efficiency. Occasionally, if the coolant temperature sensor fails, it may give a false signal to the computer, which can cause the fuel and timing calculations to be wrong by several seconds or minutes.
Failure of the coolant temperature sensor, resulting in a signal to the computer that is persistently cold, is not unheard of. It will trick the computer into thinking the engine is cold when it isn’t, causing it to use more gasoline than is required. As a result, the fuel economy will be reduced, and engine performance may be compromised.
What Does the Coolant Temperature Sensor Do?
In order to function correctly and prevent overheating, the engine of every vehicle must maintain a specific temperature range. A mixture of fluids travels through the radiator and around the engine to keep the engine at the proper temperature. This sensor (CTS or ECTS) measures the temperature of the coolant in your car’s engine. It’s essentially a thermometer for your car’s engine coolant. As a result, you can estimate the temperature of your engine.
If your engine overheats, the coolant temperature sensor will detect it and turn on the dashboard light and any additional actions your vehicle is programmed to do. The ECU delivers a controlled voltage to the CTS in order to obtain an accurate measurement of the current engine temperature. Resistance fluctuates with temperature, and via this variation, the ECU can detect temperature changes or other bad coolant temperature sensor symptoms.
The ECU utilizes this information to determine the coolant temperature. From there changes the fuel injection, ignition timing, and fuel mix and controls when the electric cooling fan is turned on and off. This data is also utilized to transmit an accurate engine temperature measurement to a dashboard gauge. For example, if the coolant temperature sensor detected a high temperature, the car’s computer may instruct the engine’s fan to either start or turn off.
What Signs May Signal Your Coolant Temperature Sensor May Be Failing?
In the same way that any other component beneath the hood may acquire problems over time, coolant temperature sensors can as well. A malfunctioning sensor may result in a variety of issues, including overheating and poor engine efficiency, depending on the situation. Therefore, it is critical to understand the symptoms of a defective or failing temperature sensor in order to prevent additional damage that may be more costly to repair.
Take a close look at the device itself to determine its condition. With prolonged usage and repeated temperature cycling, sensors, gaskets, and connections may develop fractures. The CTS is often located at the thermostat housing or on the radiator, in the front of the vehicle. While a visual inspection may aid in the diagnosis of certain defects, not all CTS issues have visible symptoms. Additional symptoms that may suggest a CTS problem are listed below:
Irregular Reading of the Dashboard Gauge
While driving, if you observe more significant variation in your engine temperature or if it seems higher or lower than normal, the engine coolant temperature sensor may be malfunctioning. If your engine isn’t warming up as quickly as it should, you should get your cooling system inspected by a technician. While it is possible that the outside temps are colder, it is also possible that the temperature recorded is incorrect and lower than it really is.
Overheating Engine (Highlighted by Dashboard Gauge)
An issue with the coolant temperature sensor may also manifest itself in the form of an overheated engine (as shown by the dashboard gauge). It is also possible for the coolant temperature sensor to malfunction in such a way that it continues to give a persistently heated signal. A poor signal may lead the computer to adjust improperly, which can cause overheating, misfires, and engine pinging, among other things.
Check Engine Light Alert on the Dashboard
When the Check Engine Light illuminates on the dashboard, it indicates that there is a problem with the vehicle’s internal computer. A malfunctioning coolant temperature sensor is not always indicative of these issues. You must utilize a code reader tool in order to determine the exact reason for the check engine light being illuminated. This utility extracts data from the car’s computer and converts it to a code. There is a specific issue associated with each code number.
Rough Engine Sound While Idling
The fuel mixture will change as a result of a malfunctioning ECT sensor. When the vehicle is traveling at a low speed, this may cause the engine to tremble or shake, which will result in additional power losses and odd behavior. During idle, the engine is very sensitive to incorrect air-fuel mixes, and it is in this state that you may detect if anything is amiss with your coolant temperature sensor.
Limited performance
Depending on how hot the engine coolant is, the air-fuel combination may be significantly affected. Furthermore, a poor air-fuel combination may result in a significant decrease in engine performance. It may be due to a malfunctioning engine coolant temperature sensor if the engine efficiency is not what it used to be.
Poor Fuel Economy
A malfunction with the coolant temperature sensor will cause the incorrect information to be sent to the computer in the car’s computer, which may result in severe damage. For example, if the temperature sensor indicates that the engine is cold, the vehicle will send extra gasoline to the engine, which will burn. It may cause the engine to overheat highly quickly, which can cause it to fail entirely in a short amount of time.
Black Smoke from Your Exhaust
If there is too much extra fuel being utilized, it may not be able to damage off in the combustion chamber, which is regulated by the coolant temperature sensor. Because the leftover gasoline is burnt off there instead, you’ll see black smoke rising from your exhaust. Black smoke does not make your vehicle undriveable, but it does indicate that you should not drive it and instead have the cooling system repaired by a professional.
Under no circumstances should you attempt to diagnose the problem yourself; instead, take your vehicle to a professional technician for a thorough inspection.
Can You Drive With a Faulty Coolant Temp Sensor?
When a coolant temperature sensor fails, the management system will use a static reading, which allows the driver to continue driving. The coolant sensor in a car is a crucial component that is used by the engine management system. It has a direct impact on the cooling and fuelling of the engine, and as a result, has an effect on how well the engine runs.
While it is possible to drive a car with a malfunctioning engine coolant temperature sensor from one place to another, doing so is not recommended in most cases. When a coolant temperature sensor fails, many of the various symptoms that manifest themselves over time may become troublesome in and of themselves.
Engine overheating is caused by an inoperative fan, which is caused by a defective coolant temperature sensor. As a consequence, further issues, such as head gasket leakage may develop. The overheating and eventual failure of a vehicle’s catalytic converter may be caused by unusually high fuel rates induced by flawed data from a defective sensor.
Conclusion
A specific temperature must be maintained in your vehicle’s engine. If there’s a problem with this, the engine will overheat and most likely fail. Carmakers build cars with antifreeze that flows through the radiator to maintain the engine cold in order to prevent it from overheating. To guarantee that the vehicle engine operates at an average operating temperature at all times, the coolant engine temperature sensors must be monitored.
Thus, a coolant temperature sensor is required. When the coolant engine coolant temperature sensor fails, it may create particular engine issues that can end in a burst head gasket or even the destruction of an aluminum engine block in extreme cases. As a result, you should constantly be on the lookout for signs of a faulty coolant temp sensor and either repair it yourself or call your technician for a replacement.
