my engine light was on so i took my truck to autozone and had the codes read. the problem was one of three things...

1. need to fill coolant resivoir.

2. need to replace thermostat.

3. need to replace coolant temperature sensor.

this is the sensor:

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/de...DETS10075.html

and this is the thermostat:

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/de...QQST45119.html

so my questions are;

is there an easy way to determine which one of the problems it is, and where on the engine do those parts go exactly?

the truck is an "03 s10 w/vortech v-6. obviously im going to add a little coolant to see if that does the trick? but if it doesnt then i have to try either replacing the thermostat or sensor? getting the part itsnt a problem, its knowing where they go, and determining if the ones i have are bad? i dont know what a bad part looks like, and i dont know where on the engine they go?

can anybody please explain to me at least where they go in the engine at?

 

so out of the 68 people of who have viewed this thread nobody knows where to find those two items?

well the first incident was easily resolved by filling up my coolant resivoir with a couple of cups of water.

unfortunatly my check engine light came on again and the same 3 problems came up when i had the codes read. i went ahead and tried filling up the coolant resivoir again to see if that was the problem but that didnt fix it so, it has to be one of the sensors.

the light came on after i did a burn out and my rear end started jumping. it was jumping pretty bad so im thinking that i just knocked one of the sensors loose? the only problem is finding the sensors. that was the origional reason for the thread in the first place, finding those sensors.

does anybody have any idea where to find the thermostat or coolant temperature sensor?

 

Thermostat
S-10 Pickup, Sonoma 2000-2004

4.3L

Disconnect the negative battery cable.
Partially drain the cooling system.
Remove the air cleaner outlet duct.
Remove the throttle body bracket nuts and reposition the bracket.
Remove the water outlet housing mounting bolts.
Remove the water outlet housing from the lower intake manifold and set aside.
Remove the gasket or O-ring.
Remove the thermostat.
Clean all the sealing surfaces of the water outlet housing.
Clean the sealing surface on the lower intake manifold.

Thermostat location—4.3L engine
To install:

Install the thermostat.
Install a new gasket or O-ring.
Install the water outlet housing to the lower intake manifold.
Install the water outlet housing mounting bolts. Tighten water outlet housing mounting bolts to 14 ft. lbs. (19 Nm).
Install the throttle body bracket to the throttle body.
Install the throttle body bracket nuts. Tighten the throttle body bracket nuts to 89 inch lbs. (10 Nm).
Fill the cooling system.
Inspect for coolant leaks.
Connect the negative battery cable.

 

thanks for that in2pro, ill give that go tommarow morning!

by any chance do you know what this is????



if you can find the clear acrylic rod with the orange marker on top and follow it straight down, thats the location of the item in the first pic. attached to the other end of the hose is a contraption that looks just like the part in the thumbnail you provided.



thanks again in2pro!

 

ok forget those last pics, i pulled that thing apart and it was nothing.

i think i found the thermostat, the only problem is that i dont have a socket thats the right size to take the nuts off. i think they're 17/32" , but the socket i have in that size is not deep enough to fit down the length of the bolt. (roughly 5/8" or so) and also the socket fits a 1/4" wratchet.

if i went into autozone looking for the right socket, what exactly is the name of tool ide be asking for??

here is what i think is the thermostat before moving anything out of the way.



and this is after i moved the air duct out of the way, and removed two brackets holding some throttle cables. you can see how long the bolts are. stupid things are too dang long! im sure they're supposed to be that long for a reason but because of that i have to work harder.



and thats as far as ive gotten before realizing i didnt have the right tool and couldnt go any further. so right now i have put everything back together and ill have to go out and buy the right socket to get those nuts off. i think it would help if a had a better tool kit! im using this little 96 piece socket set that i got from a buddy a few years back. its come in handy for as long as ive had it, but now that i own a home and a couple of trucks i think its time for a REAL tool kit, something i can be proud of!

 

they are metric nuts...15mm to be exact. I would personally use 3\8 drive ratchet instead of the 1/4" to get more torque out of it.
You need to ask for a "deep 15mm socket, 3/8" drive". You'll also need a gasket, a scraper, and some emery cloth or sandpaper to clean the old gasket surface.

What is the code that keeps coming up?

Oh and the first pic you posted is the PCV valve