Fixed.
In the end I suspect I didn't need to bother at all. The radiator came with a blockoff plug for this sensor, presumable for the stickshift model. I should have just left that in place and called it a day, and left the harness dangling.
With the sensor out and on the bench I hit it with an ohmeter and it read open. No wonder as the contacts were all black. Scraped them clean and it read a dead short. As a result I don't think it's an RTD but rather just a thermal switch. Probably goes open at some high temperature, maybe as a transmission overtemp problem. Or maybe it's for the ECU as a coolant overtemp. Regardless. I think the contacts were not making contact, and since I did not notice any drivability problems before the repair, and none after, I'm thinking it was just along for the ride.
One of the wires had wicked moisture up more than a foot. I gave up trying to chase it back and just scraped it as clean as could be, and eventually got it to take solder. Got some heatshrink tubing with adhesive for a water tight seal, and what should have been a simple/fast job finally got done. Will say it was a dirt simple job all said and done, I just wish I had repair wires in a box on a shelf for future oops.
In the end I suspect I didn't need to bother at all. The radiator came with a blockoff plug for this sensor, presumable for the stickshift model. I should have just left that in place and called it a day, and left the harness dangling.
With the sensor out and on the bench I hit it with an ohmeter and it read open. No wonder as the contacts were all black. Scraped them clean and it read a dead short. As a result I don't think it's an RTD but rather just a thermal switch. Probably goes open at some high temperature, maybe as a transmission overtemp problem. Or maybe it's for the ECU as a coolant overtemp. Regardless. I think the contacts were not making contact, and since I did not notice any drivability problems before the repair, and none after, I'm thinking it was just along for the ride.
One of the wires had wicked moisture up more than a foot. I gave up trying to chase it back and just scraped it as clean as could be, and eventually got it to take solder. Got some heatshrink tubing with adhesive for a water tight seal, and what should have been a simple/fast job finally got done. Will say it was a dirt simple job all said and done, I just wish I had repair wires in a box on a shelf for future oops.
