Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

D15, D16, D17 and Mini-Me swaps
 Reply
User avatar

Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Fri Feb 05, 2016 7:35 pm #358376 ok this might be kinda long guys.

a few years ago i had a thread about this exact issue and i solved it. this time its not so easy.

the problem just started randomly on my way to work. the car sputters under load. like unless you ease onto the gas very slowly it will sputter and buck and carry on. if u rev it up it does the same. if u give it gas too quickly it will either stall or stall and puff smoke out the intake. then it is hard to start. it is hard to start hot period when this is happening

when i had this exact issue before i tried
main relay
fuel filter
injectors
distributor
cap/rotor
plugs/wires
coil

none of that helped. this is all with NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. then randomly the CEL flashed while running and i checked the code and it was the coolant tempature sensor. so i bought one and it solved the problem for 4 years or so.

untill last month. exact same symptoms. the sputtering ect its almost undrivable. checked the codes and there werent any. played around with it for awhile and again the CEL came on i check the code and bingo the CTS

so i got a CTP and it did the trick. i let it warm up several times then started it hot and had no trouble. then i drove it 10 miles and it started all over again. so i thought just my luck i got a defective sensor. so i tried a spare i have on my spare engine. didnt work. so i bought another new one(different brand) and it didnt make a difference.

it idles fine.
coolant system is bled
no CEL

and just to be 100% clear, i did buy the coolant tempature sensor for the ECU. not the one for the gauge. and i tried 2 used and 2 brand new

and i disconnected the battery each time to clear the code

please help guys im ready send this thing to the dump!
:x :x :x :x [smilie=BangHead.gif] [smilie=BangHead.gif] [smilie=BangHead.gif] [smilie=BangHead.gif]
:thumbdown: :thumbdown: :thumbdown: :? :? :?
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:19 am #358400 do you know what it should read? i am not good with things like that
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Thu Feb 11, 2016 4:16 am #358404 theoretically I could run my own wires. i have a spare connector off my spare engine. i run one wire to a ground and i run the other wire to the correct pin on the ECU?
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By suspendedHatch
- Thu Feb 11, 2016 10:49 pm #358407 All sensors need to be grounded on the reference ground on the thermostat.
I would go to the junkyard and de-pin some wires from an ECU to use either as a replacement or for diagnosis. Nothing worse than chopping up your wires and finding out the problem was something else.

To answer your earlier question, check for continuity to ground. That would mean that the wire was shorted aka the insulation was sliced or melted off and the wire is touching a ground wire or the bare metal of your chassis. If that checks out okay, then check the ohms (resistance). It should be like .08. If it's much higher, like idk .3, .5, 8ohms lol then the wire is corroded or missing chunks of strands somewhere.

You can get a cheap digital multimeter from Sears for around $15. It's nice if it has a tone for continuity. I've been doing electrical for a long time and I've never needed anything better than that. It will come with instructions on how to do the basic tests on wires. If not, then Google has your back.
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Fri Feb 12, 2016 1:03 am #358408 i have a cheap multimeter but i only know how to check for voltage lol ill figure it out. i have some old harnesses laying around i should be able to get what i need.

im hoping to get some time with it here soon been working alot and being in the teens outside doesnt help

thanks for the help so far dude
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Sat Feb 20, 2016 4:09 pm #358503 ok still having no luck with this.

i checked the ground at the thermostat housing which was horrible. so i cleaned it up and put it back together.

the CTS's plug was oily and cruddy. i cleaned that out really well with some brake cleaner and air nozzle.

i checked the voltage to the CTS like the Haynes manual says and it reads the 5volts that it should with the key on.

i COULD NOT figure out how to do the whole continuity check thing with a multimeter i googled and tried but i just dont understand that stuff whatsoever. :x

sooooo i ran my own wire from the sensor plug to the ECU. now i only did the red/white wire. the other wire(green/white) goes to the TPS, 02 sensor, and intake air temp sensor. those wires look just fine from what i can see on those plugs and im not getting a code for those sensors.

still no codes at all and it will start fine cold but hardly start at all hot. sometimes when im cranking and its not starting it will pop quietly through the exhaust and sometimes it pops loudly. and when its running and i jam on the throttle sometimes it will pop out through the intake then die. this is not everytime sometimes it just sputters and dies
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Sat Feb 20, 2016 5:15 pm #358504 i replaced all 3 major grounds on the engine.

cam cover to rad support
alternator bracket to strut tower
transmission to inner fenderwell

all three were pretty much shot and now it cranks so fast it feels like the engine is going to jump out of the engine bay lol. but it didnt help my issue one bit. as i expected. but it was just something to rule out
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By teal_dx
- Sun Feb 21, 2016 7:56 pm #358512 I'm stumped here, but something to consider is that it just started to happen when the temperature got cold. Cold always seems to bring out any bugs in the electrical/ignition system, I'm guessing because things shrink ever so slightly and the tolerances aren't as tight as when thing are warm in the summer.

You said when it happened a few years ago, you replaced:
main relay
fuel filter
injectors
distributor
cap/rotor
plugs/wires
coil

Were those OEM parts or autozone etc?

Because I wouldn't put it past a set of 'Zone ignition parts to need replaced after a couple of years.
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Mon Feb 22, 2016 12:38 am #358518 the main relay, fuel filter, distributor(with coil included) and cap/rotor were autozone parts. the fuel injectors were used from a parts car i had that ran perfect. and the plugs and wires are NGK.

i am going to try a new cap/rotor, fuel filter, and plugs/wires and see if it helps. and i have a spare main relay or 2 laying around.

the thing that stumps me is when i first start it up it runs perfect for a few minutes. basically till the engine gets a little warm. i mean its just about undrivable because when it stalls it might not start again.

on a side note i realized my cheapo harbor freight multimeter doesnt have a continuity feature. sooo its not entirely my fault i couldnt figure it out lol only about 99.9% my fault :lol:
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Mon Feb 22, 2016 12:47 am #358519 i have a complete D15b7 engine could i try the coilpack out of that? or is it different that a D15b/d16z6?
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By teal_dx
- Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:20 pm #358525 Good call on the coil... they can act up when they get warm.

The coil IS the same... 100% sure cause I tried the same thing once and it worked :thumb:
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By TrailerTrash
- Tue Feb 23, 2016 4:22 am #358537 awesome thanks man im going to give it a try hopefully this weekend :thumb:
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By suspendedHatch
- Fri Feb 26, 2016 3:34 am #358549 All the Civic and Integra ignition coils are the same. Even the Accords that had coils internal to the distributor are the same.
If there's no continuity setting, you just measure resistance. It's the same thing. When the resistance is low enough, you consider it continuous. Like the frame of the car and every ground in the car.
User avatar

Re: Coolant tempature sensor? or something else?

By teal_dx
- Fri Feb 26, 2016 4:07 pm #358552 [quote="suspendedHatch"]All the Civic and Integra ignition coils are the same. Even the Accords that had coils internal to the distributor are the same./quote]
This applies to OBD1 only right? I'm pretty sure I remember looking at a spare coil from my 96 HX and it was different. :thumb:
 Reply
Return to D Series