Hey guys, new to the site, but having a problem with a 2002 model. My son called me and said his car was running hot, he had taken it to a mechanic who told him it was a head gasket. The intake gaskets were replaced earlier, by who I'm not sure, but I can tell they were replaced. First thing I found was a blockage in the heater core, back flushed it until it ran clear, then flushed the rest of the system. Then pulled the thermostat and checked it, it checked good. Replaced the water pump, just because it was realatively cheap and easy. The radiator fans wern't coming on so I checked the three relays, which all checked good. Next changed the coolant temp sensor, and things got weird. The temp gauge quit working, it just pegs out int the top range, and fans still dont work. If I unplug the harness from the sensor while the car runs the gauge drops to the bottom, and the fans come on. The sensor checks good, as far as the resistance readings go. I looked them up on google and found a pin-out diagram. 5000 ohms, stone cold and drops steadely as it warms up to a few hundred ohms. My question is where do the three wires go from the sensor, I have a green wire with 12V, a yellow wire with 5V and an oarnge wire with 0V. I feel like I need to trace these wires, but was hoping I could get a head start from some experts. Thanks in advance for any help.
Billy
