Hello all. My '96 E150 is having a bad issue. The engine coolant temperature sensor signal is getting too high all of a sudden when starting it up. I changed the coolant sensor and thermostat with no results . My neighborhood mechanic then recommended to buy a new radiator which I will do tomorrow (fingers crossed this will be the permanent fix).

In the meantime, what could be the culprit?

 

Hi Dan,
We could use some more info like,
What is the temp gauge reading?
Is the fan clutch working?
Are you talking about replacing the actual coolant temp sensor or the temp gauge sending unit?
Has anybody checked the water pump for any problems? Sometimes the impeller will come off the water pump shaft.
Depending on the mileage since you are going to replace the radiator it might be a good idea to also replace the upper and lower radiator hoses and coolant. Make sure there is a spring inside the lower hose or the hose can collapse with high RPM and restrict the flow through the radiator.

 

I didn't like the temp on my Lincoln. I went to rockauto got a new radiator, hoses, thermostat, and water pump all new....

love the temp now.....

 

Hi Hanky and Jeff,

Researched in Youtube and saw a great video. So I went to Auto Zone (it was an emergency so the usual online ordering was skipped) and purchased a radiator and a water pump as suggested on the following day. Everything's been fixed It has 109,000 miles and this was the first time the gauge was acting weird.

Thank you both for your help!

 

Thanks for the update.
Sometimes we get lucky guessing over the net and more times not so lucky.
Glad you found and repaired the problem.