Hey guys, a while back I was replacing the temperature sensor (the one under the alternator), and managed to tear up the actual connector. I got home from early enough from work to pick one up at the stealership, and spliced it in. It kinda worked for a day, then stopped. Any suggestions? If the connection is bad I'll need a new plug, ran out of wire trying to make it work and can't find one anywhere, and I probably won't get off work in time to get to the dealership for a few weeks.

The truck is a 98, with a 318

 

go to the bone yard and cut the plug and as much wire as you need.

 

If I can't find a new one by this weekend that's exactly what I'll do. But my main issue is the splice. I was that butt connectors would work but get corroded, and that I should solder it. The butt connectors are NOT working, unless my problem is somewhere else.

 

Solder and shrink wrap.


And btw, what is the problem you are having? That you needed to replace it to begin with?

 

The temp sensor quit working, so I decided to change it. The plastic part had started to come out of the brass probe section, and the only way I could get the sensor out of the plug was to break the plastic part of the sensor and pull the pieces out of the plug. I put the new sensor in and hooked everything back up, didn't work. Finally took it to the dealer and they confirmed the connector was the issue. Bought the plug, put it together, spliced it into the truck, and it still doesn't work. The actual day I put it in, it would show a temp increase, but nowhere near accurate, then it stopped completely.

 

So it's the gauge that stopped working or what?

 

Make sure you spliced it together properly and in order. It's pretty straight forward. Maybe you crossed the wires or your wires weren't touching in the butt connector. There's not that many things that could go wrong.

 

I don't think its the guage that is the problem, since the dealer confirmed my suspicion that the plug itself was the issue. The two wires that lead to the sensor, is one a hot wire the other a signal wire? If so, that could be the problem. Also, just how superior is a soldered splice to a butt connector? Considering I would use heat-shrink either way.

 

So how do you know the thing quit working??????? Can we have some details and back round to the situation? And soldering is way more superior to just using crimp/butt connections.

 

The guage stopped showing engine temperature. The engine was at operating temperature, or at least the heater was working normally after idling for 15-20 minutes, but the guage was at the lowest range on the scale, 130 degrees. I assumed the problem was with the sensor itself, and not the guage. The new sensor is within the Ohm range I found online. I then moved to the next component in line, the connector, and not finding any information on testing it, took it to the dealership. They confirmed the connector was causing the problem and offered to put it on for $250. I put it on myself, using butt connectors (which I now know was a bad idea) and possibly crossing the power/signal wires, if the two wires actually are distinctly power and the other signal. I've been beating my head against the wall because there's not a whole lot to go wrong, just like J415 said.