did i swap the right temp sensor?

[platanos]

Which sensor is needed for an s52 swap?

[2002maniac]

I did not try that. I'm just going to get a real temp gauge....

why not just fix it? There's nothing wrong with the stock guage.

[jakeb]

Yeah the stock gauge is good.....it works the same way as an after market gauge other than it doesn't have any numbers. needle moves to the right...coolant = hotter, needle to the left coolant = colder.

Have you tested the wiring like I suggested? Have you even let the car run all that long with open headers? They do take awhile to warm up, expecially when idling.

Man now I understand r3v.....

Don't be a bad PO

[Fidhle007]

Try the m20 sensor and see what happens. It should be a single prong sensor, don't worry about the fact that the plug is for a two prong it will still function.

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

There are two sensors....one for the dme and one for the gauge. Do you have the wiring right? You might be able to ground the wire going to the gauge and it should peg to full hot... Maybe someone can confirm this. If so then run a wire from the plug that goes to that temp sensor ground it and turn the key...the temp gauge should peg, if it doesn't you have a wiring issue.

Don't just get a after market gauge....fix the real problem

ill try this as soon as it's nicer out so i can get the car out side to let it run. so I put the sensor from my m42 back in, its the one in the front of the car right...... Then ground the wire that plugs into the sensor, there are 2 wires there so do I ground one of them? then what with the other?

if i can get it working i guess it will save me $ I just didn't know how accurate it was going to be. .



Thanks Jeremy

[Fidhle007]

It's very accurate. Seriously, just fix it.

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

It's very accurate. Seriously, just fix it.

ya i well, as soon as i figure out how...

[jakeb]

Or check for continuity from the sensor plug to your c101/x20 plug, make sure you have a connection there. Do you know how to check for that? can use a MM with either a beep check or resistance setting

[Fidhle007]

My guess is you haven't used the right sensor yet. It should be a single-prong with brown plastic.

[matt]

My guess is you haven't used the right sensor yet. It should be a single-prong with brown plastic.

And you may not have it wired correctly.

And in your picture, you seem to have the plugs plugged into the wrong sensors.

The wire with the blue tape goes on the blue sensor, this is for your DME.

The other wire goes on the brown e30 sensor with only one pin. This pin needs to be connected to the coolant temp wire at your c101.

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

And you may not have it wired correctly.

And in your picture, you seem to have the plugs plugged into the wrong sensors.

The wire with the blue tape goes on the blue sensor, this is for your DME.

The other wire goes on the brown e30 sensor with only one pin. This pin needs to be connected to the coolant temp wire at your c101.

humm.. i know i never mixed them up, if they are it was like that because i never had both off at the same time. Too be sure i did not mix them up. going to the junk yard now to get the sensor off my old parts car....

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

ok i just got the right one. brown single prong from an m20, so it goes in the front right? and i just use the stock e36 plug? and re thread it to make it fit?

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

here are some pics of what i just did. i found the real wire for the gauge, by grounding it. it was on the black sensor on the back side. so the wire labeled with blue is going to the front sensor blue one also witch is the one i swapped the sensor in, from my m42. so that was the problem. so if i pull the black sensor out and put that one from my m42 back it there will it work? I'm still not sure that i have the right one from my m42 because it is a 2 prong. but it has the same threads so it fits right in, it would be nice if i just had to put it in the right place. here are pics.......

this made the tamp gauge go to hot...




and this is the m20 sensor....





and the m42 sensor i have....







m20 left ..... m42 right....




so is the problem just that I put the m42 sensor in the wrong spot? because i know people do use them from the m42.. if this is the wright one it would be nice because if I'm stuck using the m20 sensor then i need to make it fit...... or do i need a different m42 sensor?

[Fidhle007]

I'm pretty sure that's an M42 ECU temp sensor, not the one for your gauge. You need a blue, double-prong one for the ECU (preferably for an E36) and then the brown M20 one you have will go to the gauge plug as is, even though it's wired for two.

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

I'm pretty sure that's an M42 ECU temp sensor, not the one for your gauge. You need a blue, double-prong one for the ECU (preferably for an E36) and then the brown M20 one you have will go to the gauge plug as is, even though it's wired for two.

that's what i thought. so i need to rethread it...