[ender_]

i know i have a temp sensor problem. my radiator fan never comes on even after driving for a whole hour straight during the hottest part of the day (i live on a sunny island in the pacific btw), and my temp gauge never reads above the halfway point. my head hasnt warped YET, so i wanna prevent it from happening.

so my question is, where do i find the temp sensor? is it right next to the oil filter or somewhere near the exaust? i have a d15b2 block. pictures would help a lot.

thanks guys.

 

[grouch]

So the temperature gauge never goes above halfway and its not overheating?
What's the problem?
The fan only comes on when the coolant temperature gets hot enough. If you're not reaching that point, the fan won't come on.
The fan just draws air over the radiator. If you're driving, that usually provides enough air flow to keep the engine happy.

Try leaving your car running at idle for 1/2 hour.
No driving. Just keep an eye on the temperature gauge.
The fact that its just sitting there with no airflow will make the fan more likely to come on.

This is one thing I had to get used to when I did my ZC swap and put in a new radiator. It ran cooler and the fan didn't come on unless I was creeping in traffic or idling at a stoplight for extended time etc.

 

[Charles]

It should be on the back of the block facing the firewall. You also have a relay that could be bad. Invest in a Helm's manual. Worth every penny.

Someone here may be able to post the appropriate pages.

 

[ollie]

Edit
I double checked with the factory manual.
A quick check of the fan is to jumper the two connectors at the rear of the engine.
The gauge connection is the YEL/GRN wire attached to a one wire sender under the dizzy.
According to the manual,ground the wire with a jumper and check to see if the gauge goes to hot.
The also was a warning to not let the gauge peg past hot or possible gauge damage could occur.
GL and let us know how it turns out.

 

[Charles]

I thought the temp sensor switch under the distributor was for the guage. The sensor on the back of the block was for the fan.

 

[dohcrxl]

On 2g CRXs there are 3 temp sensors employed.

1) a 2 wire thermoswitch on the back of the block next to the oil pressure sensor - this is the one that completes the circuit for the relays to turn on the cooling fans.

2) a 2 wire sensor on the head under the distributor - this one tells the ECU how hot the engine is. The ECU then makes fuel and timing changes accordingly.

3) a single wire sensor next to sensor #2 - this one is wired to the gauge cluster.

 

[akirarex]

you forgot the air intake temp sensor on the intake manifold.

 

[dohcrxl]

Oh yeah that too but I was just listing the coolant temp sensors since the author was asking about a possible overheating or related problem. Good catch though Jeff.

 

[ender_]

i checked the fan switch next to the oil cooler and it worked just fine. i jumped the cable for my fan and it worked too. i've narrowed my problem to the temp sensor under the distributor. it works but it's not accurate. i blame it on all the sludge/oil and **** covering the prongs.

now comes the problem of changing the sensor.

thanks for the help guys!