Wrong
Member
I read in several posts that you could change the engine coolant temperature sensor in 10 minutes... I'm no mechanic, but not a total idiot either. Here is my experience with a 2003 Jetta TDI.
30 minutes to call and go to the dealer, get the part (sensor+seal+clip). So far so good, except they wanted $30+ and not the $10- I read about.
3 hours on the net to try to figure out where the sensor is. On my car it is _not_ easily accessible, I can get one hand in there, not two, and getting the hand together with some light so see what I am doing is a miracle that seldom happens.
1 hour to get the damn connector off while loosing a bit of forearm skin.
15 minutes to pry the clip off. I was mounted from underneath and the only way to get it out was to break it (some metal pipe was right underneath blocking it).
5 minutes to remove the old sensor, loose some coolant, put the new one in, see that it leaks, check for the old seal, remove it while the rest of the coolant flows away and stick in the sensor.
30 minutes to curse while trying to replace the clip from below (impossible), from above (nearly but not quite) and then drop the clip.
30 minutes to locate the clip somewhere dark in there.
5 minutes to test peanut butter, jam and black bean sauce as the best sticky stuff to use with a piece of wire and try to fish out the clip. Peanut butter it will be.
Well, now it's raining therefore I cannot continue. No car tonight...
Lesson : while installing the clip, tie it with some string until it is in.
Other lesson : if this really is a 10 minute job for a pro, go for it. At, say, $50/h, that should be less than $10. He might even save you the clip.
(to be continued)
30 minutes to call and go to the dealer, get the part (sensor+seal+clip). So far so good, except they wanted $30+ and not the $10- I read about.
3 hours on the net to try to figure out where the sensor is. On my car it is _not_ easily accessible, I can get one hand in there, not two, and getting the hand together with some light so see what I am doing is a miracle that seldom happens.
1 hour to get the damn connector off while loosing a bit of forearm skin.
15 minutes to pry the clip off. I was mounted from underneath and the only way to get it out was to break it (some metal pipe was right underneath blocking it).
5 minutes to remove the old sensor, loose some coolant, put the new one in, see that it leaks, check for the old seal, remove it while the rest of the coolant flows away and stick in the sensor.
30 minutes to curse while trying to replace the clip from below (impossible), from above (nearly but not quite) and then drop the clip.
30 minutes to locate the clip somewhere dark in there.
5 minutes to test peanut butter, jam and black bean sauce as the best sticky stuff to use with a piece of wire and try to fish out the clip. Peanut butter it will be.
Well, now it's raining therefore I cannot continue. No car tonight...
Lesson : while installing the clip, tie it with some string until it is in.
Other lesson : if this really is a 10 minute job for a pro, go for it. At, say, $50/h, that should be less than $10. He might even save you the clip.
(to be continued)
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