Anyone familiar with coolant temp sensors?

[RED-85-Z51]

I want to replace the CTS on my truck and its the typical BBC 2 wire style...but..so is the one in the drivers side head for the gauge.

Rock auto only shows "coolant temp senders" and keeps mentioning gauges...but all of them are the same 2 wire units. On this model, is it possible that they are the same part? Would make sense, if one tells the gauge high high to go, and one tells the ECM how hot it is...?

[vetteman9368]

I want to replace the CTS on my truck and its the typical BBC 2 wire style...but..so is the one in the drivers side head for the gauge.

Rock auto only shows "coolant temp senders" and keeps mentioning gauges...but all of them are the same 2 wire units. On this model, is it possible that they are the same part? Would make sense, if one tells the gauge high high to go, and one tells the ECM how hot it is...?

It's very possible they are the same part #. Look and see if the connectors are the same shape. The engineers decided that it should be a redundant system so that if the ECM sensor dies, you'll still be able to read the gauge and vice versa, especially if you have an ECM controlled fan clutch or auxiliary fan.

[RED-85-Z51]

Connector looks the same, looks like the same part except for the color of the plastic clip..I ordered one, just for kicks.

The truck is running alot better now that the new chip is in, just got 1 issue to iron out...its getting about 5mpg...I had about 5 gallons in it, I took the truck up mobile hwy to blue angle, turned around, came back..adjusted some crap in the driveway...and I went to try it out, got about a mile away..punched it...psutter..coughcough...sputter...WTF..i looked down, gauge was on empty. I limped it back home...it was out of gas.

I know the muffler is not the right one, and its internally failing, so Ive ordered a new exhaust kit, flowmaster 40. 3" inlet, 2.5" dual outlets, 2.5" over axels, into 3.5" rear tips.

Ive also ordered a new TPS, Coolant sensor, and 02 sensor...for good measure.

One thing it has started doing is...if im in park, and I rev it up to 2500-3000, and let off, when it comes down to idle, it will dip to about 700, and instantly recover to 800, and give a puff of black out the exhaust. The black smoke has no velocity to it...like if you had a diesel and the turbo wasnt spooling, and you gave it gas..and let off..just a roll of black out the pipe. The FRP, filter, pump, etc is al new, and I did a full seafoam treatment to be sure...it runs great, just...seems like for an instant, its pig rich...

[kylebuck]

I want to replace the CTS on my truck and its the typical BBC 2 wire style...but..so is the one in the drivers side head for the gauge.

Rock auto only shows "coolant temp senders" and keeps mentioning gauges...but all of them are the same 2 wire units. On this model, is it possible that they are the same part? Would make sense, if one tells the gauge high high to go, and one tells the ECM how hot it is...?

most likely its a wt300z for the bwd part... if it is different there is a coolant temp sensor and a temperature sensor.

[StaticCling]

The only one of those I did was quite a long time ago on a friends Pontiac Grand Prix, or was it a Grand AM? Are you talking about the deal that plugs in/mounts to the radiator?

[RED-85-Z51]

The only one of those I did was quite a long time ago on a friends Pontiac Grand Prix, or was it a Grand AM? Are you talking about the deal that plugs in/mounts to the radiator?

This one has a sensor up front on the intake that tells the computer how warm the coolant is, for adjusting fuel trim, etc...AND a sensor on the left head, for telling the gauge what to readout...

They look identical and I cant find any listings that show different parts for one or the other...I guess they must be the same part.

[Stangkiller]

I seem to remember that coolant sensor being used in more than one place.

[Fastguy]

Use the part number to cross it to the new one.

[RED-85-Z51]

There are so many different ones made, I cant find a X ref on anything...

i ordered a cheap one from RockAuto...if it works, great, if not...7 bucks aint bad and i can put it on CL as a butt plug or something...people will buy anything.