Identify part off of the Heater Control Valve

[Hunt4Fun]

I changed the coolant today and now I have good heat. I also flushed the heater core. Both were in bad condition. I noticed that the water temperature gauge is not functioning. The gray tube coming off of the heater control valve is torn.

1. Is this the part related to the temperature gauge not showing a reading?
2. Can you tell me the part number and/or name?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hunt4Fun

 

[RonD]

Welcome to TRS

What engine is in your 2001 Ranger?

The Grey line is a Vacuum hose that comes from inside the cab

When you select OFF or MAX AC in the cab that hose will get Vacuum and will close the heater hose bypass valve shutting off coolant flow thru the heater core
So its not an integral part of the cab's heating and cooling system, lol, but no reason for it not to work either

These hard plastic hoses can be repaired with snug fitting rubber vacuum hose
Smaller vacuum hoses for the most part do not have clamps because they have Vacuum inside, so tend to pull tighter not push apart like hoses that have pressure inside


We can answer the temp gauge question when we know the engine size
2001 had 4 engines available
2.3l Duratec
2.5l Lima
3.0l V6 Vulcan
4.0l V6 SOHC
Each has a different location for Temp Sender, and that's what you need to test to see if its a sender issue or gauge/wire issue
But no, the grey vacuum line would not effect temp gauge or sender

 

[Hunt4Fun]

I updated the description. My Ranger is a 1997. The engine is a 3.0.

 

[RonD]

Grey line/hose is the same 1995 and up

3.0l Vulcan has the temp sender(and ECT sensor) at the top front of lower intake

Picture here: https://www.ranger-forums.com/attac...coolant-temp-sensor-issues-coolant-sensor.jpg

The circled one on the Left is the Temp sender, 12volt 1 wire, for temp gauge
The one on the right is the ECT sensor, 5volt, 2 wire, for computer

Temp sender always has a red/white wire, ECT a green and grey wire usually
Look at the WIRE, people often reverse their positions

Unplug the red/white wire connector and GROUND the red/white wire to battery negative or good engine ground
Go to the cab and turn the key on, engine off
Temp gauge should go up to HOT, all the way up
If so, wire and gauge are fine, replace sender
If gauge stays on cold then problem with wire or gauge

Temp sender and ECT sensor "look" similar, but are electrically different
So if you replace either make SURE you get the right one, as they are not interchangeable

Leave lower threads on temp sender bare metal, that's the ground it needs

 

[Hunt4Fun]

Much appreciated. Will follow up in the morning.

 

[Hunt4Fun]

Gauge works to Hot on ground. Changing the sending unit. Thanks.

 

[Hunt4Fun]

Getting the sending unit out was quite the project. 26 years of rust and red lock-tight. Wow!

It is out and the new one is in. Now the alternator light is on.

Going to let it warm up and see if the gauge ever moves. This happened before I change the temp sensor but then corrected itself.

The fuel gauge is still not working, but it may be a separate issue all together.

Truck warms up great and blows hot heat.

Rechecked the ground wire from battery to the sending unit wire and still goes all the way up on HOT.

 

[RonD]

Battery light should be on with key on, it means the Alternator voltage is lower than Battery voltage, which it would be with key on engine off

Key off a battery should test between 12.3v and 12.8volts

Engine running battery volts(which is alternator volts now) should test between 13.5v and 14.8volts

Your gas gauge is at Empty as well?
Maybe the cluster on that side has an issue, although the temp gauge is pretty straight forward, as you found out by grounding the red/white wire
Thats a puzzler

 

[Hunt4Fun]

Key off shows 12+ volts. Engine running shows 14+ volts. Just bought the truck a few weeks ago. Going through it and fixing all failing items. The fuel gauge has been down since day one. So far I have:

1. Replaced Cruise Control Buttons
2. Replaced Negative Battery Terminal
3. Oil Change
4. Power Wash
5. Replaced 4 tires
6. Replaced Right front turn light
7. Fixed Seat Belt Tensioner
8. Replaced Thermostat
9. Replaced Serpentine belt
10. Replaced Transmission Fluid and filter
11. Repaired Hood Latch
12. Changed Differential Fluid
13. Replaced headlight bulbs
14. Coolant change
15. Fixed Dome Light
16. Corrected Hood Alignment
17. Windshield has been replaced

Spark Plugs are on the way.
Brake Fluid Change is yet to do.

I can't help but think that the battery light coming on is related to the temp sensor change or I bumped something when doing the coolant change.

 

[RonD]

Battery light circuit is very simple, almost the samething as temp circuit

Battery light bulb gets 12volts from Cab fuse 15 with key on
Bulbs ground is the light green/red wire on the alternator's 3 wire plug in

When an alternator is not spinning its at 0volts so "like a ground", so bulb has 12v and 0v and it lights up

When alternator is spinning its generating voltage, lets say 14volts
So now Cab Fuse 15 is 14volts and Alternator's light green wire is 14volts, no ground(0v) so bulb is off

Key on(12v)---Fuse 15-----battery light bulb---------------alternator

If alternator was not working or generating less that 12volts(battery volts) then battery light would come on or stay on

Fuse is OK since Battery Light is on with key on
Unplug the 3 wire connector on alternator and Battery Light should go off
If not then there is a short to ground somewhere, in the cluster or on the light green wire
But its beginning to look like a cluster issue


On the back of the cluster is a separate module for the gas gauge, the anti-slosh module
This is used to prevent gas gauge from going up and down every time you go around a corner and the gas in the tank "sloshes around"
And they do fail, but............float in the tank can also fail, fills with gas and sinks to the bottom

If you pull out the cluster to check wires, you can test the fuel sender wire, yellow/white wire pin 12 on 12 pin connector
Sender uses
16 ohms Empty
158 ohms Full
So you should see between 16 and 158 ohms and if you rock the truck the fuel in the tank will slosh around and ohms will go up and down, if so float and wire are OK, so anti-slosh module or cluster is bad
If 14 - 20 ohms then float may be bad, sunk to bottom(assuming tanks not Empty, lol)
If lower than 10 ohms could be a short in the wire or sender

1996 thru 2003 Ranger or Mazda B-series Clusters are interchangeable, plug and play, with or without Tachometers, all Rangers/B-series are wire for Tachs even if they didn't come with one

 

[Hunt4Fun]

I think the gauge cluster is bad.

I removed the cluster. Then ran an ohm meter across the plug below:

Starting at the left, which I believe to be the fuel wire, I get 37.4 but it was moving around a lot, 1 (error code on my tester I think), 30.0, Error code, 28.5, 31.8, 103, 54.7, 54.6, Error code, 53.5, Error code.

Now when I start the truck, the fuel and temp are in different positions, the red battery light is out, and the two gauges on the right are dead.

Thoughts?

 

[RonD]

The yellow/white wire is from fuel sender in the tank, should read between 16 and 158 OHMs
16 ohms tank Empty
158 ohms tank Full
So anywhere in between, but should be steady
If its between those numbers then use your foot to rock the truck a bit, gas in the tank will slosh around a bit and Float will go up and down, and OHMs should change accordingly

Red/white wire is from Temp sender on engine
Should read "about" 74 ohms cold, I think

Fuel gauge has a spring on the needle so it will often sit at about a 1/4 tank with key off, key on should instantly cause needle to move to correct level position, unless fuel in the tank is actually at a 1/4 tank level, lol

For fuel level there is a separate module on the back of the cluster(anti-slosh module), it in a slot(upper right), pull it out and look at the circuit board and contacts, if it looks OK slide it back in and hook the wires back up and turn on the key to see if fuel gauge is working again

 

[Hunt4Fun]

Thanks Ron. Do you feel I need to replace the gauge cluster?

 

[RonD]

Yes, I wouldn't waste more time in it if wires test as OK

1996-2003 clusters are interchangeable you can even get one with a tachometer if you want
The P R N D 2 1 is interchangeable to manual cluster, manual cluster had tachs

 

[Hunt4Fun]

I assume there is a way to transfer the odometer over to the new cluster?