i just tried changing my temp sender, i got the old one out, but i cant get the new one in, it just sits and spins on me and idk what to do!, whats causing this to not want to start?

 

This is a crazy question but are they identical.If so try turning it counter clock wise a few turns then turn it clockwise and see if it grabs .Also make sure you dont have it on a slight angle .

 

yea they are, the pintle? is alittle bigger but not much, iv tried going both ways, and nothing changed

 

To me it sounds like you may have an incorrect temp sensor. I believe it should be straight forward to install.

 

thats what i thought, im gonna try again tomorrow, if i cant get it im runnin to autozone

 

It may or may not be helpful as to the problem but I have seen some temp sensors that were designed with the threaded area not tapered at all. Most blocks have a tapered pipe thread and though they will thread in it is hard to get them to start. It is the right tpi and diameter but the wrong style bolt vs pipe. (I know it makes no sense but true) I have personally seen this on some factory updates. (Not our cars) The sensor only threaded in about two or three turns after fighting to get it started.

 

And are you asking for the right part? There are 3 possibilities on these cars.

1) Fan switch - pass side head between #6 & #8 cylinder - runs the fan
2) Coolant Temp Sensor - in the thermostat housing - tells ECM the temp
3) Coolant Temp Sender - driv side head between #1 & #3 - for guage

Which one do you need, and which are you asking for?

 

im not finding the sender on autozone, yes thats what i need to replace but i got the sensor and im trying to put it under the plenum near the thermostat housing but its not going inm i need the sender for my gauge

 

Sounds like you're working in area #2 in the post above, but for the sensor that makes your gauge work, you need to be putting it in area #3

 

do the sensors look the same?

 

Similar, but the connectors are different, #1 has a roundish end for a 1 wire connector, $2 is a two wire plug with a snap in connector and #3 is a 1 wire deal with a slip-on kind of clip. There's pictures of them all on here somewhere. I'll try and find it

 

Check out post #30 on this thread. Shows them all, although in a different order than the list above
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cool...ernatives.html

 

ok iv got the sensor and im trying to replace the sensor so im in the right spot just the wrong part i was needing, i still need to replace this because the little black part that the connector attachs too broke off the original so i need to replace that sensor, help???

 

I'm not sure what you're asking for help with now. Could you ask a clear question?

 

im trying to replace the temp sensor, near the plenum, i cant get it to go in, why?

 

No idea, as long as you have the correct CTS for your engine it should just screw right in

 

Why not take the old one to the auto parts store and verify size/style/thread pitch?

 

cars the only way of transport, cant have that out and the car running

 

If you have the old one out, when you hold the new one up next to it, is the thread size the same on both or can you see a difference?

 

i did, i didnt see a difference besides the new one being alittle longer and the pintle being bigger

 

Doesn't seem like if it was the right one there should be any difference. If one screws in and one doesn't that kind of points to something being different. If the threads are a finer pitch(closer together) for example, that would make it not work while appearing nearly the same.. Have you tried telling the parts person where you got it that it seems to be the wrong one and see what they can turn up? Maybe the fact that it is longer and bigger makes it bottom out or hit something not allowing it to reach the threads ?

 

im taking it back tomorrow, hopefully auto zone has the right one.....

 

could it be a water temp sensor?, i found that one on autozone and it looks kinda the same

 

Reread post#7 slowly a few times

 

This is the Coolant Temp sensor - it goes IN the thermostat housing, not beside it:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...er=146258_0_0_

This is the Coolant Fan Switch - it goes in pass side head:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...equestid=19220

This is the Coolant Tempurature Sender - it goes in driver side head:
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...S_575808512___

Autozone I can't find a guage sender, but advance it was easy to find.

{edit}

Forgot this is a V6 - not sure locations are exactly the same on the heads as a V8 - but should be as fan switch gets info from a water passage and so does guage sender, and the only water passages I know of regardless of number of cylinders are in the heads.

 

found it, the threads on the original was messed up so i got it replaced and found the sender, its behind the damn ac unit, had to take that all apart and the bracket to get the thing in.