4x4utahcherokee

I'm having some issues with my jeep. It has a crack on the side of the radiator which is an obvious fix and I have no problem doing that. The thing is once it would get to temp and I'd be in traffic for a minute the jeep starts to misfire and basically floods out. I figured out the problem which is the coolant temp sensor in the t-stat housing. After some searching on here I found out that if i unplug it it kicks the fan on but no matter how long i sit at idle it doesn't bog out and flood. I hopped on autozone.com to do a price check and there's 2 coolant temp sensors. They look the same from the pics that are on there but ones like 17 bucks and the others like 70 bucks. the 70 dollar one says its a coolant temp sensor switch and the other is a coolant temp sensor. From what I understand one is for the ecm and ones for the gauge and e-fan but I may be wrong. My question is which ones in the t-stat housing and where is the other one? I need one of you xj guru's to help me out. thanks for all your help!

97 sport 4.0

superj

usually the cheaper one goes to the gauge cluster but let someone more knowledgeable tell you on this one

4x4utahcherokee

Thats kinda what I figured but I'm not 100% sure if the one in the t-stat housing is the cheaper one. I know when I unplug it my gauge doesn't work but my theory on which one controls which is just something i heard through the grapevine. no facts to back it up. Thats why I'm asking on here before I buy the wrong one. In my 90 xj i never had problems with sensors and it seems like I've had nothing but problems with my sensors in my 97.

dyte2004

the one for the gauge is the one at the rear of the head the other one goes to computer well it is on mine a 94

4x4utahcherokee

I'm pretty sure your right even though mines at the front of the engine but is it the coolant temp sensor switch because it controls the e-fan? Does it control the e-fan for sure? here's a pic of it.

4jeepers

I think that is the temp. sensor that goes to the ECU. On the earlier models it was in the block under the exhaust/intake manifolds!

1991Jeep_Man

yes, that is your Coolant Temperature Sensor. It controls your e-fan, basically anything controlled by the ECU based on temp. The Coolant Temperature Sending Unit is the one on the back of the cylinder head; it is smaller but same shape as the CTS

4x4utahcherokee

so does that mean I'm spendin 20 or 70 bucks on this one? whats the difference between the normal temp sensor and the temp sensor switch. Is it the temp sensor switch that goes to the ecu? I'm just looking for clarification on which one i should actually be buying. I'm almost positive thats the problem sensor in the picture I just don't know if that the plain temp sensor or the temp sensor with the switch in it.

1991Jeep_Man

just go to the A/Z website and search 'Coolant Temperature Sensor'. To clarify that it is the right one, click on the 'We can help you fix it' thing. It should discuss how the sensor works and how to install it in the housing. It is this one..

4x4utahcherokee

K i understand what ur saying. I was just confused because when you look up coolant temp sensor there's 2 there one. I'll post the links. one looks just like that with the pic above the other one is aluminum or something and in the "type" line in the details it says coolant temp sensor switch. So I would assume that it goes to the ecu but doesn't look like the one in my jeep.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...ier=902260_0_0_

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...fier=45332_0_0_

maybe I'm just overthinking it. I just want to be sure as to which one I need cause there's a 50 dollar difference. Sorry if I seem redundant. it just seems like the switch one would go to the ecu and the reg temp sensor would go to the gauge but this is obviously not my area of expertise and I'm a little confused. Again thanks guys for the feedback.

1991Jeep_Man

To be honest I am not sure what the $70 dollar one is. The $20 is what you need; trust me. I just replaced mine and the A/Z guy told me which to get. Hope I have been able to help, but I do not know what exactly the aluminum one is. Maybe a beefier model for some heavy duty application?

4jeepers

Yes the one in your photo is the $20.00 one the other is the one behind your distributer on the right side of the engine and it is for your temperature gage. That one is $70.00! That is if your '97 is set up the same as my '99 WJ!

4x4utahcherokee

Thanks guys. You gave me some peace of mind. I was really confused for a bit but now things are starting to make sense. I appreciate all your help.

dyte2004

most of the time if this sensor fails it brings on the check engine light are you sure this is your problem

4x4utahcherokee

I've had a check engine light for a week now but thats my bank 2 o2 sensor thats coming up. The problem I'm having is I work 20 highway miles away and when i drive the highway everythings fine but once I get into town my temp jumps to just above 210 and if I sit at a stop light for a few minutes then go to take off my jeep sputters like it's being flooded then once i get home and turn off my jeep I have to wait at least 30 minutes before I start my jeep again cause it will sputter like its flooded and then kill itself. I found that if I unplug that sensor it fixes that problem. I can sit at idle for as long as I want and my jeep will start up everytime with no problems and no waiting. By deductive reasoning I figured that was my problem. Do you have any other ideas what it could be? I haven't replaced the sensor yet cause I can't afford to until friday. So if anybody else has input on something else being my problem I would appreciate it.