ECT Sensor question
 

Hello everyone. I bought a 97 Ram 1500 that had a 5.9 with auto trans. Motor was pulled before I bought the truck. I bought a 98 Ram 1500 with a 5.2 and manual trans for a donor truck. Got it for $500 because it had been wrecked but ran great. After putting the motor in the 97 it idles horribly most of the time (sometimes idles great) but bucks and jerks and stalls when its in any gear and was throwing p0713,p1391,and p1763 codes. Trans was rebuilt shortly before the 5.9 threw a rod. I noticed the heat gauge did not work so I replaced the ect sensor and the codes disappeared. Truck still runs like crap and the heat gauge still doesn't work. I read other threads stating there are two ect sensors on some of these trucks while others only have one. The 97 had two (single wire and double wire) but the 98 only had one(double wire). I know from reading the other threads that the ect sensors can cause the same problems Im experiencing. I guess my question is, how do I fix this? Do I have to change the plenums so that I have both ect sensors or is there a way around this problem? Also, is there a way to test it to see if this is whats causing it to run like this? Im hoping someone on here has had this problem with engine swaps and can help me figure this out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ect sensor? Never heard of it.

Egine Coolant Temp Sensor is what that stands for.

Are you using the pcm for the 5.9 with the 5.2? If you have the two coolant temp sensors one is for the pcm so it knows what the engine temp is and the other is for the dash gauge.

Ha, never heard it abbreviated like that. Always just called coolant sensor. After so many "ects" I tuned out.

I didnt swap the pcm's. The donor truck had a manual trans so I wasnt sure if it would work with the auto trans. Also donor truck is a 98 and my truck is a 97. There were some changes made in 98. The instrument cluster is digital in the 98 but not in the 97. I do have the plenum from the the original 5.9 that was in the truck which has both coolant sensors on it. Wish there was a way to test this before I swap the plenums.

That's your problem. They aren't compatible unless you change all the wiring over.

Yeah it's odd but hey I don't judge haha. I knew where the thread was going after the first few sentences.

You should be able to drill and tap a hole for the 2nd sensor with one wire that is for your gauge. If the other sensor you bought is a BWD, throw it away and get the sensors from Mopar or a Standard Motor Products sensors from Rock Auto. Standard has a good quality line, a cheaper T series, and also make the BWD garbage. I have great results with the original Standard parts. The retard at your local parts store that sells BWD will tell you it's the same as the SMP. IT AIN'T TRUE !

Plug the original sensors in to the harness. Find a way to ground them. Warm them up with a blow drier, heat gun, or micro torch.