Okay, my car threw a code 15 at me which is a low temp recorded. Now, when we put in my new engine we had to use a bushing to fit my coolant temp sender in, since lovely napa didnt have any that would fit. So would this extra distance between block and sender throw off the sender? And also, if the gauge is right, how dangerous is this? It only stayed on for like 5 minutes and then the gauge picked up. So, any help? Thanks.

 

Tortilla Toddler,

A couple of questions, then we can get to the problem.

What year/engine/fuel system do you have? The CTS and other sensors can vary a lot from engine to engine, and even across the years.

Which sensor did you have to refit to the engine? What location, and more importantly, what color wires?

Get that info and I'll bet we can solve the mystery.

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Later,
Vader
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If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Its a 350 goodwrench with my CCQjet off of my old LG4. The sender is the one on the driver side head. The one from my LG4 was too small to fit into the head so I bought a bushing (not necessarily by choice, best Napa could do for me) that the sender could fit into so i could put it in the head. That help?

 

Taco,

The sensor in the left head is for the dash instrument only. The sensor for the ECM should have a yellow and a black wire connected to it. The connector is a two-wire socket that mates with the "cone" style connector (squeeze to disconnect) on the sensor.

This sensor is supposed to be located at either the front of the left (driver's side) head (V-6 engines) or in the front intake manifold coolant crossover (L69 engines). If your old engine had a small sensor screwed into the front face of the left head or in the old intake, that would explain why the ECM is not reading it.

A DTC 15 means that the ECM is reading a CTS at an impossibly low temperature (high resistance - as in disconnected or failed).

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Later,
Vader
------------------
If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

hmm i knew it was for gauge only, but for some reason it didnt click in my head that that wouldnt cause a code. but uhhh, the code doesnt stay on constant, only for a few secs was it on, any other locations the sensor could have been, so i know where to look, i dont remember taking a second one off the old engine. thanks again.

 

oh yeah, my dummy light for temp is hooked up to the ECM's temp gauge right? not the gauge in the gauge cluster, i just need to know so i wont like overheat my engine completely oblivious someday...

 

dude, me and you are having the same stupid problem. are you getting next to zilch for gas mileage? i seem to be getting a little bit of unburned fuel smoking out of my exhaust at times. this stupid code 15. my guage sure does like to rise exceptionally fast, but even when my gauge gets to 270, the fan doesnt kick on, and the engine isnt anywhere near that temp. my gauge is giving false temperatures and my car is running like crap. at least now i know the sensor in the head controls the gauge, and the sensor in the coolant crossover controls the ECM. taco we should hook up one day and see if we cant fix this problem once and for all.

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1987 LG4 Camaro z28
Modifications- Flowmaster 80 series, KN airfilter, high flow cat, 180* stat, edelbrock performer intake manifold, msd blaster coil, ascd big block hood, panasonic cd player, rockford everything else.

 

hmm my gauge rises fairly normally, and the code only flashes sporadically for like durations of 15 seconds or so....but yeah seems like im getting bad milage, not sure yet though, just getting towards the bottom of my first tank with the new engine, but honest to *** i dont remember a second coolant temp sensor, i'll ask my dad tomorrow if he did it, cause im next to positive i didnt, but the Tech1 had a seemingly accurate temp reading from the ecm...soooo...who knows