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Coolant temperature sensor in radiator

60K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  Maqcro1  
#1 ·
Hey all, i’m trying to help my brother in law fix his 2012 Cruze. He’s getting the infamous “A/C disabled due to high engine temp” message. I replaced the temp sensor in the thermostat area and cleared the code...it worked for a couple of hours and then the code came back. So I figure it’s probably the sensor in the radiator which I’ve been dreading. How in the **** do you get to it to replace it? I can barely find it with my hand...is there a way to get to this without performing open car surgery? Thanks in advance!
 
#2 ·
Radiator ECT is located on the passenger side. No need to remove anything. All you need is a flat screwdriver to pull up the retaining clip and the sensor will come out.

But since your having symptoms of a/c off due to high temp I’d like to direct you down a different path.

What CEL code are you getting? Or are you just getting the a/c off due to high temp message?

Reason being is because these are two separate issues one being a coolant leak and the other a corroded sensor.
 
#4 ·
Also here’s another picture of what I’m guessing may be causing your condition.

The red arrow is your oil bypass tube. The blue line is approximately where the tube ends and is sealed with a o-ring type gasket. Make sure your topped off on coolant and the engine is warm. Create a video and see if you have a leak coming from that gasket. It’s a difficult leak to detect since the coolant will drip onto your hot engine and evaporate well before it gets a chance to reach the ground.
 

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#6 · (Edited)
That’s weird.

I think it took me a whole 3 minutes to replace the sensor and bleed any air out and I don’t remember any restrictions getting down there.

The sensor should just come right out once the retaining clip is removed.

It’s literally the same sensor as the one on the water outlet but with different terminals. Radiator is Tin and water outlet is gold.

Keep us posted on what you find.
 
#9 ·
Radiator ECT is located on the passenger side. No need to remove anything. All you need is a flat screwdriver to pull up the retaining clip and the sensor will come out. But since your having symptoms of a/c off due to high temp I’d like to direct you down a different path. What CEL code are you getting? Or are you just getting the a/c off due to high temp message? Reason being is because these are two separate issues one being a coolant leak and the other a corroded sensor.
I’m getting just the screen on my dash. Already replaced coolant sensor and it worked for a couple hours. Now it’s back to a/c off due to high temp. Should I replace the other sensor?