Follow The Dipstick Back.. Ecu Temperature Sender?

[Guest Leemc2006]

Hey all

 

Have a 1988 205 GTi 1.6.. having serious problems with cold start, done the search and spent hours and hours looking through past topics. So far checked the SAD, AFM and breather hoses... all of the hoses are clean now, although starting to perish, none are split. I will be changing these anyhow soon.

 

A friend with a GTi told me to change the ECU temperature sensor, its behind the dipstick.. so, got the torch and had a look, two senders there, the one with the blue tip, bigger one on the left, I took off the wire on the end and the insides fell out! Consequently.. now the car wont start at all!

 

I took a picture of the two senders.. when I unscrew them coolant pours out! So guessing they are temperature senders. One for the ECU and the other for the temperature gauge. Need to know which is which really, need to replace them and need the part numbers, otherwise it'll mean me empty'ing out all of the coolant to that level!

 

Here is a picture, not very clear sorry, but taking on camera phone, you should be able to get the idea.

 

 

Hope someone can help, with the information as to which one is which, and if possible the part no.

 

Thanks

 

Lee

[Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars]

them 2 are temperature gauge sender and temp warning light switch.

ECU temp sesnor isnt always down back. Look at your SAD side on, you should seee a blue 2 pin plug. May look grey with age. Thats the one you want

[Guest Leemc2006]

Thanks..

 

Will go and have a look and repost this afternoon.

 

Lee

[GLPoomobile 958]

in that pic the one on the left looks like it is the ecu sender. easy way to confirm is by the wire connected to it - if it has a chunky black plug with the irritating wire clip around it that locks it in place, then it should be the right one as I don't think any of the the other sensors have a blue plug.

 

the guage sender and switch both have a single terminal with a single wire connected via a black or red spade connector.

[boldy205 75]

if this has a dodgy conection it will lead to overfuelling and poor starting.

[Guest Leemc2006]

It did have a dodgy connection.. poor starting and awful fueling, after I pulled the wire out yesterday, all of the insides of the sender came with it in 2 pieces.. now the car wont start at all!

 

Does anyone know the part no. for this? I can supply any information, i.e engine/chassis numbers, from a local motorfactors the part is only £9.. but they have 3 to choose from, I dont want to drain all of the coolant, just want a quick switch and then top up the coolant.

 

Thanks

 

Lee

[Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars]

it still dont look like an ecu temp sesnor to me, looks exactly like the coolant temp gauge sensor. Did it have one wire or 2 going to it?

[Alastairh 47]

As Richie says, thats not the ecu temp sensor.

 

http://ben.loaded.net/gallery/albums/album...00202.sized.jpg

 

See that bright blue plug below the dizzy and out a bit, thats the ecu temp sensor.

 

Alastair

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

In that picture they are the water temp guage and high water temp light sensor's, But providing your using the orginal engine the sensor will be as Alastairh said in the picture, a 2 way bosh type plug (Like the injector ones), But even without that connected it will start

[GLPoomobile 958]

well if it isn't the ecu sensor in that picture then what is it? are there any other sensors that are similar and have a blue plug? the one in the photo is clearly bigger than the one to the right of it, it's tapped into the coolant block, and it has a blue plug, so what is it?

[Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars]

coolant temp sesnor for the gauges inside the car, the smaller one is the coolant high temp switch for the warning light inside the car.

[GLPoomobile 958]

well I'm really confused then! As I said in another of these topics the other day, both the temp sensor and temp swith for the gauges look identical, and both of them have a single wire, spade connection. One being black and the other red. Whereas the ecu temp sensor looks different to the other two, and has a totally diferent connection on the wire.

 

I'm going by what I have seen on my old J reg 1.9 and my current H reg 1.6 which was totally original when I got it.

 

If I'm wrong then someone please tell me. But going by my 2 gtis I'm certain I'm right!

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

The later Phase 2's had the Blue ECU temp sensor under those 2 sender's, why they couldn't have done that in the first place god only knows

[Guest Leemc2006]

Just had alook for that bright blue bit on the picture that was posted.. I dont have one! There is a plug/sender attached to the side of the vacuum advancer is it? Attached directly above the SAD. Other than that, no other senders apart from the picture I posted myself.

 

The car was starting two weeks ago, and running properly when hot just not cold, but was still overfuelling.. just tried to start it again, started first time, but was seriously overfuelling! backfiring.. and then cut out after I revved it a few times, will not tick over, and guessing its flooded now, after it cut out, wont start again. Same deal last night, after it ran once, wont run again.. leaving it overnight has cleared it to start again.

 

The blue plug sender in the picture is broken, and needs replacing anyhow.

 

Both of those two plugs only have one wire going to them. All of the gauges still work, (the little one in the picture still plugged in)

 

Confused.. doesnt appear anywhere in the Haynes manual.. Wiring diagrams are useless because I dont know what it is to start with, and I cant find out where it goes! If I try to earth the wiring that goes to the sender, the guages should go straight to the max right?! That way I could tell if it was a guage or not.

 

I would have thought that the guage would control the light..

 

Thanks

 

Lee

[Guest Leemc2006]

Ignore all about starting the car, idiot I am forgot to re-plug the AFM back in again!!!

 

Anyhow.. still trying to find the ECU temperature sensor.. its not where was previously posted in the picture.. there is a sender there, but its not blue, attached to the side of a component that has two pipes coming out of it at either side, one pipe goes through into the bulkhead and the other disappears in front of the engine.

 

The one in the picture is broken, and will need replacing, so need to get to the bottom of this, find out whats what and order new bits..

 

Thanks alot for all of your help so far!

 

Lee

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

The ecu coolant temp sensor (CTS) on a 1988 GTi will be in the CTS housing underneath the distributor. Follow the hose that comes out of the side of the head just in front of the distributor & this turns 90' to the CTS housing. This is where your sensor will be, not at the back of the head as in your picture.

 

You have found the CTS housing judging the description in your post above this, the SAD hose runs from the bottom of the inlet manifold & the one that comes out of the back loops straight round to the inlet pipe between the AFM & TB.

 

Graham.

[welshpug 1,657]

bosch ECU temp sender, 0280 130 026

 

[Guest Leemc2006]

Thanks alot..

 

For all your help.. was worth the wait signing up to this site!

 

Cheers

 

Lee

[GLPoomobile 958]

Sorry to corrupt this thread, but when I was viewing this at the weekend I was on my PDA so couldn't see the original photo in great detail. Having looked at it now on my laptop I can see that the sensor in the photo is different to the picture posted by Welshpug. So what is it exactly? I know Richie said it was the sensor for the guage, which makes sense considering it's location, but the ones I have seen on my own cars don't look like that! Do they vary in appearance?

 

Sorry for being so convinced I was right earlier - I am big enugh to admit I am wrong ha ha - but I always thought the ECU temp sensor was the only one with a chunky blue plug and yet the one in Oli's photo has a chunky blue plug, so this could be confusing for anyone doing a search.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

I always thought the ECU temp sensor was the only one with a chunky blue plug and yet the one in Oli's photo has a chunky blue plug, so this could be confusing for anyone doing a search.

Usually the only one with blue on is the ecu temp sender but the one is Oli's original picture is one of the temp senders, I guess its been replaced with a new one somewhere along the line, most of the ones I've seen have been green where this is blue.

 

Graham.