During the course of replacing the clutch in my 95 accord, two sensors right under the distributor managed to get broken. I think one of them is the coolant temp sensor, but I'm not sure. It would be much appreciated if anyone can tell me what these sensors are called so i can replace them.[IMG][IMG][IMG][/IMG][/IMG][/IMG]

 

That is the coolant temperature switch you have broken there. Without it, your radiator fan will most likely not come on. You can jumper it temporarily to drive the car to the auto parts store.

 

The 2 wire one is the ECT sensor for the ECU and the single wire one is the temp sending unit for the dash. They are not the A or B fan switches. You will have a hard time running your engine without the ECT sensor and your dash temp gauge will not work without the other.

 

My engine ran fine without the ect switch wire attached and I had it jumpered out. The only thing was the check engine light came on and had to be reset.

 

Ran fine, may have felt that way but it probably wasn't 100%. When a CEL pops up it usually means that it wasn't running 100% and requires attention!

If you jumper the ECT wires that = 0ohms of resistance. The ECT is a temperature dependent resistor (thermistor). The resistance of this thermistor decreases at the engine coolant increases.



Therefore if you jump the ECT wires you are basically telling the ECU that the engine is running hot all the time. As 0.1 resistance = approx. 250°F. Or if there is 0 resistance, there is a problem with the ECT sensor. That will effect your timing and fuel maps or put you in failsafe/back-up mode, this is a pre-programmed value for the particular erroneous sensor.

It will throw a CEL, run in fail safe/back-up mode and inform you to replace the ECT sensor. Ether way you may think your engine is running fine, however the computer is adding/removing fuel and adjusting timing for a hot engine when it's not.

Just thought you might want to know what it was that you did when you jumped the wires.

 

You are right of course. I only drove my car a short time without the ECT wires hooked up. Was for testing. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Thanks everyone so much for the help! So these two sensors being broken would be the cause of my car not being able to start? And can someone explain what it means to jump the wires?

 

To jump the wires means to close the circuit, aka join them together.

Not so sure that the ECT would cause your car not to start. You might want to re-check all of your ground and power connections.

 

Word I'l do that. Thanks again for the help. My accord has been off the road for way too long lol I miss driving it.