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So I have a Acdelco 213-52 CTS with the 2 wire replacement plug but got no directions of how to wire it. I have not looking at my stock harness yet but I believe there should be a black and yellow wire do these matter how they go on the new harness?
I installed the exact sensor on my '84. I just cut the old connector off and soldered and shrink tubed the new connector in place.
Make sure either to drain some coolant first or be VERY quick to put the new sensor on or you will get some coolant on the garage floor. Ask me how I know. Also don't use any teflon tape since the sensor itself grounds to the intake manifold. It is a thermistor switch, so the reference voltage comes from one wire and the variable voltage from the change in temp is sent to the ECM on the other wire. The new connector only plugs in one way. IIRC it doesn't matter which wire goes where.
Good luck!
Old sensor with "umbrella" style connector looks like OEM from '83 build date.
Perfect I thought I read that some where but could not find it. I don't use teflon tape on my sensors I use permatex high performance thread sealer.
Yeah, I'll second this. It's also similar if you use paste or some kind of sealer when you install it. This can sometimes limit the ability for it to ground. It created a direct issue on another car that I have, so I use a very little bit of hydraulic liquid to help seal it... though they're usually tapered so unlikely to get leaks.
It doesn't matter if the cts is grounded. I have mine installed it a tee on a heater hose.
You're talking about the new one though, right? Or are you using the original one-wire? The sensor casing is supposed to be the ground, is it not? Or am I totally wrong here?
I copied and pasted this from the xfireperformance.com FAQ section.
Q: My engine idles rough and rich when cold, what is the problem?
A: The most likely culprit, but not limited to this is the Coolant Temperature Sensor (CTS) is bad and should be replaced. It is the sensor that screws into the front of the stock crossfire manifold horizontally and has a small plastic shield around it on a stock engine and same position on the Renegade manifold. Replace the sensor with the newer two pin weather pack type. Do not wrap the threads with Teflon tape if you decide to install the stock type again, the threads/sensor body provides a ground through the manifold and the block to frame. Use Permatex high performance thread seal sparingly instead. Also check the O2 sensor if it is happening in closed loop as well.
I just want to add a PSA to this... I had another car, 1985 Pontiac Fiero 2m4 SE that my daughter restored. We went through at least four different CTS sensors (exact same sensor as the one for the Corvette). The Fiero in 84 used this sensor originally (with the newer connector), and almost all the ones we bought were bad (verified with a real-time OBD-1 scanner hooked up to a laptop). We did have one where we surrounded the threads with PTFE sealer and it didn't connect well, but the others were just bad. We figured... a new sensor is a good sensor... which was not the case unfortunately. We even ordered two brand new AC DELCO ones... one branded as AC DELCO, and the other as DELPHI (identical factory). Both of them were crap. All that stuff is made in China now.
The ONLY one that worked... was from NTK. They're made in Japan and the same company that makes NGK ignition components. Highly recommend if you haven't bought it already, just go with NTK. I'm so bummed that DELCO / DELPHI is basically crap now for aftermarket older sensors.
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84 CFI coolant temp sensor wiring
