Code 14 (Kiss of Death?)

[vrmlbasic]

Winter came, and with it went the cool running of my car. Besides having what feels like transmission problems, I now have the friendly yellow "Service Engine Soon" light to keep me company on the dash.

With some help from this forum, I managed to jump the formerly useless diagnostic connector and read off my error code, which appears to be 14.

However, no matter how I searched, I could not find a code 14, or any code list for that matter, on the forum.
(plenty of rpo codes, but those aren't gonna help me)

Someimes the car feels like it has power under the pedal, but others I have to have the engine scream and go like a hummingbird to get to the speed limit. Acceleration is also poor sometimes, but other times its fine.

I don't know what causes that, but maybe it can help identify the code 14.

In the end, I'm out of ideas--if anyone knows what's wrong with my ride, I'd be glad to hear it.

Thanks,
--Kevin

[mcqueary]

According to the FSM for my 93, DTC code 14 is Engine Coolant Temperature(ECT) Sensor Circuit (High Temperature Indicated).

So the computer is seeing a high temperature indication caused by an actual high coolant temperature or faulty sensor or associated circuit.

[Homerjay123]

you seem to be having symptoms of a bad catalytic converter... maybe

[vrmlbasic]

I was thinking that the Cat might be dead, for the previous owners of the car didn't take care of it at all, and I stupidly put a static resistor across the IAT plug to increase fuel flow (I had other reasons), which means that a ton of wasted gas probably went straight into the worthless can of platinum known as the catalytic converter.

**Your point is very valid--even with straight transmission problems, pushing the pedal would still make the engine rev higher, or at least do something. There's nothing as 'fun' as having the car rebel against the pedal and not accelerate when you pull onto a major highway or interstate, let me tell you.

"What we got here is a Failure to communicate...some engines you just can't reach, so you get what we had here last drive, which is the way she wants it....well, she gets it. I don't like it any more than you men"


Anyhow, the only code reported by my engine is Code 14, after watching the blinking SES light for eons, so I hear that means bad coolant sensor or high coolant temperature.

So, if you were a coolant sensor in the 92 lesabre, where would you be?

**and still assuming here, how would you be tested to know if I need to go on a quest to scrap one?

[vrmlbasic]

Well, with your advice I went out to the car, and I couldn't find anything from the upper-right coolant line from the radiator.

So, I grabbed my weapon against crappy mechanics, the 92 lesabre electronic system manual that I found by chance on ebay, and looked it up.

There's supposed to be 2 connectors for the coolant sensor, if I read this correctly: the sensor and the sender.

The sensor is supposed to be right under the MAF on the throttle body, and a little behind it.

So I looked--got it.

The plastic hose that terminates with the sensor is supposed to split and connect to a coolant temperature sender, which is located right around the corner from the sensor.

So I checked.

Guess what I found??

A brown metal HOLE where the sender SHOULD be, but no sender at all!

Senders and their connectors don't just up and disappear, and GM probably wouldn't leave a hole in the coolant system and document it as being filled on the service books.

I've never looked before now so I can't know for sure, but the fact that it's up and gone makes me think that the screwy repair show (bad history) knocked it out.....

**I hope that it just isn't supposed to be there, but I'm really suspicious....any insight on this?

[vrmlbasic]

"Hey--Where's the Sender??!"

[vrmlbasic]

A hole that looks like the one the sender should be in

Only....it isn't in there.

If it wasn't dark I'd start the engine and see if coolant comes out, but that'll have to wait.......and it would explain the mysterious coolant droppings I found, as well as the slowly depleting coolant recovery tank levels.

[vrmlbasic]

Ungh--I just realized what's wrong here--there is most definitely a hole in my engine where a sender should be.

Only problem is, the sender should not be there for my model of car. The sender controls the Temperature gauge on the Manly Instrument Cluster, which I don't have, and the sensor (which I do have) controls the temperature idiot light, and is apparentlly throwing the codes on my engine.

As I never received a Temperature warning light, I'll assume that the computer is telling me the sensor is bad?

**and isn't this hole supposed to be covered if not in use?


Well, to test my theories, is it normal for an engine to just have it's coolant sensor up and die?

[vrmlbasic]

Ah--I didn't realize that I never said the year--you are correct sir, it is a 1992 lesabre.

[Alibi]

It is possible for the CTS (coolant temp sensor) to have died. Replacing one is fairly straight forward and they're cheap, usually >$10.

[vrmlbasic]

Sounds like an easy solution to me--can I just buy one, or is salvaging one a better option?

Doing it right the first time is on my list of priorities, because having to drain coolant is never fun

[vrmlbasic]

So should I investigate getting an equivalent part from autozone, or is it safer to scrap 2 from a junked (cries) LeSabre and put one in?

[vrmlbasic]

True, but I'll have to hit a junkyard sooner or later--the stupid grill frame on my car has a piece broken out of it.

Apparenlty someone didn't realize that there was a secondary release on the hood and tried to pry off the grill....I think they were just practicing idiocy

Buying a new one is probably the better option--I'm sure a 16 year old neglected part in a junkyard will be reliable (cough)

Is there any sort of part listing, or do I have to pull it out and take it in to my parts retailer of choice to make sure I get the correct one?

**pulling it out creates a connundrum, cause to pull it out means I'd have to drain the coolant, and draining the coolant means I can't drive the car.

(though I'll have to drain the coolant out anyhow, I would assume, unless I wanna work in a green Old Faithful shooting out the empty hole)

[vrmlbasic]

Alright, I've got an update on my progress, and a few questions for you guys out there.

After tracking down the coolant sensor (under the throttle body), my friend and I sucked the coolant from the radiator and the recovery tank.

Then, after much complaining about Buick making a part hard to get to, we managed to break off the plastic terminal housing so that we could get a 3/4" socket on the sucker and wrench it out.

(Note to anyone--Get one of the long 3/4" sockets and an adaptor for <10 bucks at pepboys to be able to install it painlessly....I found that one the hard way)

To no one's suprise, we had Niagara Falls of mountain-dew colored Prestone coolant gushing out the sensor hole. After cleaning all of that up, my friend who I forced to chaffeur me to parts stores and I rode to autozone and pepboys to get the sensor and some sealant, not to mention the correct socket to put the thing in with.

(and to make a ghetto replacement for the hose that connects the airbox to the throttle body--do not put black parts on black things....I left it by the wipers and shut the hood on it, not seeing it in my rush to run to the store....now, it's important that you learn from my mistakes, cause the hood wouldn't open or shut, I wedged it in their just right, and it took over an hour with snips and needle nose pliers, and anger, to pull the piece of crap out. While I'm here I'll mention that PepBoys and AutoZone do NOT stock replacements!)


So, after burning my boy's gas to go to every parts store near and far to get a replacement part that isn't sold, we returned, and stuck the sensor in without a problem. (thread sealant applied)


Next I hooked the recovery tank back up and filled up the radiator.......but here comes my question--I did not put in as much as I got Out of the engine block and radiator combined, and the coolant levels are still the same as they were when I filled them..........could this mean that the coolant isn't making it to the engine??


Of course, the question that you all expected is this--why does my car still throw code 14??!

My pessimism says that the wires to the sensor would be bad, which would suck, but my optimism and logic says that something else must be the problem.

Any ideas, especially about the actual flow of coolant??

(If nothing comes up, I guess I could pull the coolant sensor out and see if any coolant comes out, that would be a cheap way to test circulation, but if nothing comes out, I'll be back here to ask, so I feel I might as well ask first)

[Bassasasin]

Coolant systems usually need burping..

Good Luck.