My coolant temp gauge has been acting up recently, and I'm positive it's the sensor and not the gauge. For example, today the gauge didn't budge at all for the first 15 minutes I drove the Jeep. I shut off the engine for a sec to see if it would start working, but it was hard to start and sputtered a bit. I'm assuming the warm engine plus faulty coolant temp signal was to blame. Other times I notice the temp seems to read a little low (180ish?). If I pop the hood and wiggle the connector, the gauge goes back to where I'd expect it to be. The connector looks OK, and I've cleaned the contacts. If I get a new sensor, is there a reason to go with Mopar vs. Delphi? The Mopar sensor ($46) is twice the price on Rock Auto.

 

Mopar. (Made by NTK/NGK, so those are fine, too.)

With sensors on these beasts, go original. They seem to be very picky about it.

Alternators, power steering pumps, water pumps, lots of parts.... it's okay to go aftermarket. Not sensors. There are too many horror stories of people pulling their hair out because they were SURE the problem was the sensor, but a new one didn't fix the problem.

Then they put in an OEM, and the problem was solved.

OR, the new sensor failed in a matter of weeks or months.

 

The temp sensor is probably the least complicated sensor in the vehicle. For a sensor that can strand you if it goes bad, or is a pain to replace, I'd Mopar or a good name brand. Otherwise, it's hard to justify $46 when a generic can be had for $8. . If wiggling the connector causes problems, I would suspect the wiring first. It would suck to drop $46 only to figure out it's the wiring harness connector or wiring. Some sensors include a new connector with pigtails for the harness.

 

I had suspected it might be the connector, since it's near the exhaust manifold. Aside from cleaning the contacts I've not pulled the wire loom off to have a look at wires where they're covered. If I do end up buying a new connector, just cut the old one off and use crimp connectors on the new one?