New ECT sensor made noticeable difference
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New ECT sensor made noticeable difference
After reading this post, I decided that I would try out a new ECT sensor on my 1997 4Runner. I have been complaining here of poor drivability and bad gas mileage lately. The symptoms of a faulty ECT sensor seemed to match my complaints pretty closely so I gambled and replaced the old one without testing it. My gamble paid off.
The truck starts quicker/smoother both cold and warm. Shifts are smoother, coast to gas transitions are much more controlled. I've only driven 60 miles but the needle is right at the 3/4 mark on the gas gauge, something I have not seen in years on this truck! Lately, I could only manage just under 40 miles when the needle reached the 3/4 mark.
I am going to test the old sensor by checking the resistance at various temps. But my OME gear comes in tomorrow so the test might get put off while I install and play with my new junk I'll post the testing results when I can. The old sensor did look very dark compared to the new one but it didn't look milky white like the one in the link. I read somewhere that severe overheating can damage the ECT sensor; I think that might be the root cause because I started noticing the symptoms several years ago, around the time I let it overheat multiple times due to a leaky water pump and my noobness.
I also finally got some fresh Toyota Red coolant back in the cooling system which I feel better about than the Prestone green that has been there for the past year.
The truck starts quicker/smoother both cold and warm. Shifts are smoother, coast to gas transitions are much more controlled. I've only driven 60 miles but the needle is right at the 3/4 mark on the gas gauge, something I have not seen in years on this truck! Lately, I could only manage just under 40 miles when the needle reached the 3/4 mark.
I am going to test the old sensor by checking the resistance at various temps. But my OME gear comes in tomorrow so the test might get put off while I install and play with my new junk I'll post the testing results when I can. The old sensor did look very dark compared to the new one but it didn't look milky white like the one in the link. I read somewhere that severe overheating can damage the ECT sensor; I think that might be the root cause because I started noticing the symptoms several years ago, around the time I let it overheat multiple times due to a leaky water pump and my noobness.
I also finally got some fresh Toyota Red coolant back in the cooling system which I feel better about than the Prestone green that has been there for the past year.
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I think I will be purchasing a OBDII scanner very soon. Probably a very good investment now that I have decided to keep my truck for a few more years.
Anyone have suggestions for high-quality, relatively inexpensive OBDII readers? I see the PLX Kiwi WiFi w/ iPhone interface on URD's site. That looks something that would work well for me except I don't have an iPhone or iTouch and I think my wife would get aggravated if I started hogging her iPhone. I guess the scan tools that use a laptop for the software might be my best bet.
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This is the one I have, bought it 2 years ago and works great. It graphs and shows readiness monitor status:
http://www.scantool.net/scan-tools/s...creader-v.html
http://www.scantool.net/scan-tools/s...creader-v.html
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This is the one I have, bought it 2 years ago and works great. It graphs and shows readiness monitor status:
http://www.scantool.net/scan-tools/s...creader-v.html
http://www.scantool.net/scan-tools/s...creader-v.html
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What so you look for in the OBOII reader, mine idles at 550-650 range but it doesnt sound like anything is wrong, i do have access to a reader so it cant hurt to check.
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Your idle speed doesn't sound out of the ordinary, if you are talking warm idle.
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You can get an ODBII interface for under $10 shipped from Ebay, or a number of sites that ship directly from China. All you need to make it work is a laptop with USB. It's should be the first tool in any auto mechanic's toolbox, especially now that they costs as much as a McDonalds meal.
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You can get an ODBII interface for under $10 shipped from Ebay, or a number of sites that ship directly from China. All you need to make it work is a laptop with USB. It's should be the first tool in any auto mechanic's toolbox, especially now that they costs as much as a McDonalds meal.
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http://www.obdtester.com/pyobd that looks like it works with the Hong Kong Bluetooth jobs on e-bay.
Plus a few others that don't look ready for primetime.
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You got my curious gene going. I found this one:
http://www.obdtester.com/pyobd that looks like it works with the Hong Kong Bluetooth jobs on e-bay.
Plus a few others that don't look ready for primetime.
http://www.obdtester.com/pyobd that looks like it works with the Hong Kong Bluetooth jobs on e-bay.
Plus a few others that don't look ready for primetime.
Thanks Durk!
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If there is one sensor I'd replace every decade, it would be the ECT sensor. I've never had any of my autos throw a code for it, but always have had them warm up faster, smoother idle, and better gas mileage after changing the sensor.
TheDurk, thanks for the link. This looks to be a good addition to using my Scangauge ii.
TheDurk, thanks for the link. This looks to be a good addition to using my Scangauge ii.
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I went ahead and bought a cheap ODBii USB inteface. It cost me about $20. It looks like pyodb willl work just fine even though it doesn't do any graphing or does it have any other fancy features. However, there is another piece of software that runs under WINE that has these features. If pyobd doesn't doesn't do enough I can try/buy something a little more sofisticated.
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