Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor Replacement - Improved Performance

[3onTree]

Had a P0116 code come up indicating coolant temp sensor range issue. At the wheel I had a pretty dramatic “Contact Dealer” message on the dash. I cleared the code and noticed it didn’t recur next day. I considered the sensor unreliable so I ordered a new one and replaced the electrical plug too, as it was brittle and possibly caused the error. I cut the old plug wires, patched in new plug and replaced the sensor. My only expectation was to remedy recurrence of the error code (and sensor failure) however unexpectedly I found that the car runs much better. Bit of research reveals the coolant temp sensor is an important input to the ECU and a hot or unreliable sensor can cause engine protection to dial back ignition. I also noticed the old sensor and plug had coped a lot of radiant heat from the headers so I put some shielding between the sensor and the exhaust. Overall a simple fix. Replace your coolant temp sensor if it ever glitches, its probably reading bad and compromising engine management.