High temperature light comes on at startup, even while engine is cold. Replaced thermostat -- no change. Could the coolant temp sensor be bad?

the most expensive part of 3 possible replaced 2 times.
wow.
the sensor or the wires (end to end) are bad. (just one gauge fails?)
the service manual covers how this work.

I guess you meant the IP cluster engine temperature meter reads wrong and the engine thermostat is not bad, 23 years old and thermostats have design life of 7 years../
a scan tool set to scan PID, ECT sensor tells what coolant is doing.
189f to 213F is spec, temp range

the gauge coolant temp has:

Water Temperature Indicator Sender Unit
When the engine temperature is low, the resistance of the water temperature indicator sender unit (10884) is high, thus restricting the flow of current through the gauge and moving the pointer only a short distance. As the temperature of the coolant increases, the resistance decreases, allowing more current to flow through the gauge and resulting in a corresponding movement of the pointer.

these year trucks the gauge sender is not the ECU ECT sensor
and may be single wire sender.. try mostly fail this old, not the gauge
the wire on the sender can rust or even fall off.

No , their arn't two coolant temp. sensors . One near the thermostat housing . The Temp sensor is a input to the PCM / ECM . The PCM / ECM needs the temp info for fuel calculations . The temp gauge on the instrument cluster gets this info over class 2 serial data network Hooking up a factory or professional scan tool that can read sensor data is the easy way to diagnose ,not guessing . Looking at factory service info. an wiring diagrams too see what is what is another way . You have no clue ,take it to a qualified repair shop.

The engine coolant temperature sensor is a thermistor (a resistor which changes value based on temperature) mounted in the engine coolant stream. Low coolant temperature produces a high resistance (100,000 ohms at -40°C/-40°F) while high temperature causes low resistance (70 ohms at 130°C/266°F).
The PCM supplies a 5 volt signal to the engine coolant temperature sensor through a resistor in the PCM and measures the voltage. The voltage will be high when the engine is cold, and low when the engine is hot. By measuring the voltage, the PCM calculates the engine coolant temperature. Engine coolant temperature affects most systems the PCM controls.
The scan tool displays engine coolant temperature in degrees. After engine startup, the temperature should rise steadily to about 90°C (194°F) then stabilize when thermostat opens. If the engine has not been run for several hours (overnight), the engine coolant temperature and intake air temperature displays should be close to each other. A hard fault in the engine coolant sensor circuit should set DTC P0117 or DTC P0118; an intermittent fault should set a DTC P1114 or P1115. The DTC Diagnostic Aids also contains a chart to check for sensor resistance values relative to temperature.
The ECT sensor also contains another circuit which is used to operate the engine coolant temperature gauge located in the instrument panel.

Watch the temp gauge when the electric radiator fans come on. The temp sensor that controls when the fan comes on may be faulty.

P0116 - Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) Circuit Range/Performance Problem
The ECT (Engine coolant temperature) sensor is a thermistor which changes resistance based on temperature of the coolant in contact with it. The ECT sensor will be located in the block or coolant passage. Usually it is a two wire sensor. One wire is a 5 Volt supply from the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) to the ECT. The other is a ground to the ECT.

As the temperature of the coolant changes the resistance on the signal wire changes accordingly. The PCM monitors the reading and determines coolant temperature in order to perform essential engine fuel management. When engine coolant is low, sensor resistance is high. The PCM will see a high signal voltage (low temperature). When coolant is warm, the sensor's resistance is low and the PCM will see a high temperature. The PCM expects to see slow resistance changes on the ECT signal circuit. If it sees a quick change in voltage that isn't consistent with an engine warming up, this P0116 code will set. Or if it sees a lack of change in ECT signal, this code may set.

Symptoms: There may be no noticeable symptoms if the problem is very intermittent, however the following may occur:
MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) illumination
Poor drivability
Black smoke at tailpipe
Poor fuel economy
May not idle
May exhibit stalling or misfires

Causes: Potential causes of the P0116 code include:
Missing or stuck-open thermostat
Bad ECT sensor
Short or open on signal wire
Short or open on ground wire
Poor connections in wiring

Possible Solutions: If there are any other ECT sensor codes, diagnose them first.
Using a scan tool, check the ECT reading. On a cold engine, it should match the IAT reading or should be equal to ambient (outside) temperature reading. If it does match the IAT or ambient temp, check the freeze frame data on your scan tool (if equipped). The saved data should tell you what the ECT reading was when the fault occurred.

a) If the saved info indicates that the engine coolant reading was at the coldest exreme (around -30 deg. F) then that's a good indication the ECT resistance was intermittently high (unless you live in Anchorage!) Check for an open in the ECT sensor ground and signal circuits and repair as necessary. If they appear okay, warm the engine up while monitoring the ECT for any intermittent jumps high or low. If there are replace the ECT.

b) If the saved info indicates that the engine coolant reading was at the warmest exreme (around 250+ deg.F) then that's a good indication the ECT resistance was intermittently low. Check for a short to ground on the signal circuit and repair as necessary. If it appears okay, warm the engine up while monitoring the ECT for any intermittent jumps high or low. If there are replace the ECT.

Other ECT sensor and circuit related DTCs: P0115, P0117, P0118, P0119, P0125, P0128
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P0128 Coolant Thermostat (Coolant Temperature Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature)
This means that the engine's PCM detected that the engine has not reached the required temperature level within a specified amount of time after starting the engine. The intent of the P0128 code is to indicate a faulty thermostat. Similar codes: P0125

In determining the engine did not reach a "normal" temperature, it takes into account the length of time the vehicle has been running, the intake air temperature (IAT) sensor reading, the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor reading, and the speed of the vehicle.

Symptoms: You will likely not notice any drivability problems other than the MIL illumination.

Causes: A code P0128 may mean that one or more of the following has happened:
Low engine coolant level
Leaking or stuck open thermostat
Faulty cooling fan (running too much)
Faulty coolant temperature (ECT) sensor
Faulty intake air temperature (IAT) sensor

Possible Solutions: Past experience indicates that the most likely solution is to replace the thermostat. However here are some suggestions on troubleshooting and repairing a P0128 OBD-II code:
Verify coolant strength & level
Verify proper cooling fan operation (check if it's running more than it should). Replace if necessary.
Verify proper engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor operation, replace if necessary.
Verify proper intake air temperature (IAT) sensor operation, replace if necessary.
If the above items check out good, replace the thermostat
If Nissan vehicle, check for Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), as the ECM may need to be reprogrammed to correct the P0128 code



These codes are telling you that the engine temperature is not sufficient. This can be caused by a faulty coolant sensor,air in the cooling system,or a faulty computer.
The engine should run at 190 F & higher when warmed up. Scan the computer system to view engine temperature.

Keep us updated.

Check your coolant levels. If the temperature isn't much higher than normal, you may be fine, or you may have a Coolant Temperature Sensor going bad, and reporting the incorrect temperature. Even though the thermostat was replaced 8 months ago, it is possible it is already going bad again. I believe this is more of a Coolant Temp. Sensor fault though. The cooling fans are On when the AC is on. With the AC off, the cooling fans come on when the engine reaches a certain temperature, and cut off once the temperature is back in range. The Coolant Temperature sensor shouldn't cost much, and is easy to replace. I would start with that, top it off with coolant, and then maybe change the thermostat.

I’m happy to help further over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/jeremy_69f3cc28d95bf514

Code P0128 simply means that the computer has not seen a large enough rise in engine temperature within a prescribed amount of time. This can be caused by several things. It could be a bad (stuck open) thermostat, the wrong thermostat (not the correct heat range for the vehicle), a bad coolant temp sensor, bad wiring between the coolant temp sensor and the engine computer, low coolant level or airpockets in the cooling system, or a failed PCM, or a PCM that needs to be reprogrammed. It could even be caused by a cooling fan relay sticking on. You could throw a lot of parts at this code and not fix the problem if it is not properly diagnosed. You have to access the computer data to find out what temperature your computer "thinks" your engine is at. You must then compare this with a direct reading from an infrared thermometer or a pyrometer to validate this data. If the data is not valid, then you must find out why. (bad sensor/sensor circuits, etc.) If the data is valid, then you have to find out why your engine is running cold.

Check continuity of the sensor wire. It should run between pin #4 (check manual (chilton better than haynes for electrical) for location as sometimes there are design changes) of the black harness plug on the computer to the sensor. The other sensor wire is shared with the cps and tps sensors, so if you don't see problem readings with those that wire is likely good.
Also, make sure that you have no air in the cooling system or as it passes the sensor it can mess with the readings. Run the engine with the system open and the heat on high....I like doing this with the front of the vehicle either jacked up slightly or pointing up-hill... run a complete "cycle" from cold to operating temp and add coolant as needed.
Hope this helps!

the temperature sending unit on a 97 grand prix 3800 gt(which is also the coolant temperature sensor) is not accurate. the sending unit part of this sensor only sends info to the guage on the dash. the coolant sensor part sends info to the computer of the car. it is located under thermostat and somewhat difficult to get at. i had put a brand new one in and my temperature on my dash is all over the place---even with good thermostat and properly bled system. when i hook up a scanner to my computer, the coolant sensor is sending the computer(ecu??) what seems to be the right temp. anywhere from 194 degrees to 217 when hot. the guage however on dash go from 160 to 260 in less than 2 minutes.

yeah try to change the sensor.maybe it is busted. normally, most of the late-model cars comes with a fan feature that turns of after 5 or 10 mins even after switching off the engine. this helps to cool down first the engine to reach its desirable temperature before it is totally shut down. its good that your radiator fan has a feature like that. aftermarket perfomance fans do come with that feature because it takes care of the engine state.just try to change the sensor for engine temp

This happens when the Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) does not reach 75°C (167°F) despite sufficient engine warm-up time.

This happens usually when the thermostat/temperature sensor is faulty, and is bad for emissions and fuel consumption.

The repair cost may vary, even if themperature sensor is not an expensive part, after replacing the sensor there is need to reset the ECU (car computer module).