Car wont start.

[Wizard]

Odd, a bad coolant temp sender (even to the ECU, since 1g's have 4 of them) shouldn't have prevented it from starting.

Wiz

[Kracka]

Originally Posted by Wizard

Odd, a bad coolant temp sender (even to the ECU, since 1g's have 4 of them) shouldn't have prevented it from starting.

Wiz

Actually yes, an unplugged coolant temp sensor can cause the car to not start. the ECU adjusts fuel/spark depending on the engine temp. A cold engine requires a lot more fuel to start than a warm engine does.

[TheBlizzard]

Originally Posted by Wizard

Odd, a bad coolant temp sender (even to the ECU, since 1g's have 4 of them) shouldn't have prevented it from starting.

Wiz

Depends on how warm/cold it is outside. If it is below 30 degrees F the car will most likely not start. If the coolant temp sensor is bad the ECU thinks the temp is 600 degree F or some high number like that. This will prevent the ECU from seeing that it is cold outside thus not enrichening the car enough to start.

If it is warmer outside, the car will usually start with a faulty coolant temp sensor. But once you get it running it will require you to feather the throttle for a little bit. Then you should see a CEL and it will start running decent. Once you see the CEL the ECU will switch to a fail safe fuel map to get the car to idle and run without dieing. I wouldn't trust it though.