So I finally got a check engine light on my car so I decided to pull codes ASAP. I keep getting a code 13. Which, IIRC is the Engine Coolant Temp Sensor. The thing is I had just replaced one out of my parts car and apparently this one is bad too? I tested it with my multimeter but I cannot get an Ohm reading on it what so ever, the screen of the Multimeter just stays the same as if nothing was done, does this mean it is stuck open?

I talked to a Nissan tech yesterday and he said the car should run great when I first start up. Well it doesn't run horrible, but when I go to start the car the rpm's shoot up like normal then drop to 400-500 and it starts to stall, then it will fix itself, go back up to 1000, then rest at 750 eventually. Another thing is, the car is running very rich and my gas mileage is horrible... from what I've read all of these things could be pointing to the ECTS. Is it weird that both sensors can't get a reading? I ordered one from Courtesy yesterday and will report back Thurs, but I'm at a loss

 

Cleaned your IACV lately?

 

Yes, like a few months ago... it usually idles fine as long as I didn't just start up...... usually

 

Hmm..I had this exact problem with my ve some time back,but i can't for the life me remember what i replaced/cleaned/etc.to fix it.

 

Ahh!!

I think it was my maf?

I didn't replace my maf to correct this issue,the problem was my car finally quit idling all together,it would just die..I swapped out my maf on my wife vg for test purposes,and whamo! that was it..

IIRC,the idle hunting issue went away after i replaced it.

But I'm not positive about this.

 

brb, gonna swap the one in the parts car real quick....

edit: nevermind.... bwookannn

But I tested mine that's in the car with my multimeter and it gave a good signal... perhaps some electrical contact cleaner will help...

 

The Temp Sensor changes resistance with temperature. You should be able to hook up a multimeter to it and read the resistance as the temp rises. I put it in a pot of water, with a thermometer and heated up the water and read the resistances.
http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us...es.htm#hd1-1-2
Here's the test procedure. Also make sure your not looking at the temp sensor for the fan. On mine (92 SE) it's right near the coolant temp sensor.

 

Yeah... I've tested it before and it will not give me a resistance reading. At any temperature. I have a Hard Copy FSM so I know I am doing it right, it's just not sending me an ohm reading.

 

Unplug your maf,then start it up(watch if it does the idle hunting thing)

Be reminded though,the car will not rev over approx. 2300rpm with the maf unplugged.

 

Well,it's dead then..

 

It won't stay started if I unplug the MAF, but I plugged it back in and tried to start, and it seemed to do fine, no drop in idle. It just shot up to like 1300 upon first surge, dropped a bit and stayed right around 900 (a little high I know, but the engine is cold)



Well, I assumed that which is why I bought a new one instead of my parts car one, I just thought it was weird that two of them would be stuck open. Usually when they die don't they give like a really HIGH figure, rather than just nothing at all...

 

Unplug first,then start it up.

All maxi's will die if you unplug the maf while it's running.

 

I did unplug it first, it wouldn't stay idling...

 

how does the car run with the CTS disconnected?
the car has 2 temperature thingies right by each other so make sure you are replacing the one for the computer.
they are fairly cheap aftermarket BTW

 

Odd. http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...7&postcount=13

It's possible the ecu will not accept 2 major sensors unplugged/malfunctioning at the same time.

Yeah,the ecu will take over with a dummy cts signal when unplugged,my ve ran just as normal with my cts unplugged,the cel stays on the whole time though.

 

The car starts up without the CTS connected, but I have not driven around with it unplugged. I am sure it is the one going to the computer, and not to the gauge in the dash.

 

94maxshima
Senior Member

Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: St. Augustine, FL
iTrader: (4)
Posts: 1,000

Post *****..

 

ects? electronic coolent....?

temperature sensor

 

 

Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor

 

Black plug just sends the temp to the guage

Red plug sending the temp to the ecu

 

 

http://www.internetautosupply.com/ca...x18-p-428.html

 

eh, I paid $27

 

I just saw this post. Everything was plugged in at the time, then I unplugged my MAF, tried to start and it would turn over and stumble then die almost immediately. Are you saying that because the CTS is not working the ECU thinks it's unplugged? Which is why the car dies...

 

What i mean is with a bad cts+ an unplugged maf=your ecu may not allow the car to idle with these 2 things unplugged or malfunctioning(maybe the ecu can only simulate one major sensor at one time maybe?

 

Going to test this theory..brb..

 

Well with both unplugged,it still idles fine


http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...t=MVI_2095.flv

 

I just went out and tried it again... I unplugged both, it stalled... restarted, and it did the same thing it did in your video. Wtf!? Then I tried it with just the CTS Plugged in, worked fine, plugged in both of them again and it did fine again...

 

Bad connections(corrosion) at one or both of the sensors maybe?

 

They both look really clean...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oHLnIPEXu7g

 

 

*deep breath*

Hah, I'll report back tomorrow after the ECTS install... Gonna break it for now... Think I'm digging myself into a hole...

 

Replaced my ECTS today with a brand new Courtesy Nissan one. I ran it around the block a few times and holy crap! PERRFECT sweet smooth idle, I can actually get right up to my exhaust pipe and smell the exhaust (not for too long ) and it doesn't smell like pure fuel, (Actually it smells kind of lean) Car starts right up, no bogging down! I'm soooo effing stoked. I'll let you know if it keeps it up, but as of right now we are in BUSINESS...

 

 

i'm having the same problem but i don't know if i have the right sensor or not. does the maker of the sensor keep a certain coolor coding for them? mine is black, not red. or is there one of each?

 

I just threw away my old one, but i think it was yellow. the new one was black. shouldnt matter.

 

Did you look at the pictures and videos of the sensor on the first page of this thread?

If it's black, then it most likely has been replaced already..

 

coolant temp sensor should be red/orange

the temp sender is the black one IIRC

 

yeah, orange sounds more like right for my old one, my new one is red, and the harness connector was what was yellow...