Hello FTE. This is the most helpful website about Fords that I`ve seen. I`m glad to see so many people willing to help others with their vehicle problems. I`d like to get anyone's thoughts on how important the CTS is and the possible malfunctions it can cause if is bad.

 

Welcome 86 Bronco 2,

You're right, this is a great site with lot's of useful info.

I don't know what engine you have, but if it's the 2.8L, you're going to have serious problems if you overheat it. I had a simular problem with my 85 BII. I tried two new temp sensors and still got erratic readings on the gauge. I checked all the wiring back to the instrument cluster and figured I had a bad gauge. I was getting ready to stick on an generic temp gauge. But I finally tried replacing the instrument cluster voltage regulator and it solved the problem, now the temp gauge and the oil pressure gauge work perfectly. The part was about $25.00, took 30 minutes to replace and gave me alot of peace of mind.

 

just a tip but when you post place your trucks info too for all of us to better help you out

 

Which temperature sender are you worried about: the one for the dash gauge, or the one that feeds the EEC-IV computer?
The only problem the dash sender will cause is irritation from not knowing what temperature is at.
A malfunction in the computer's sensor will cause a little bit of trouble for the computer, as it will use the wrong engine management strategy. For example, if it's reading erroneously cold, the computer will run the engine a little rich, which can hurt gas mileage and engine performance.

 

This is a CTS not a sending unit and wouldn`t the CST serve the same function whether it was 86 Ford or 92 Chevy ?

 

So you want to computer's sensor. FYI, Ford likes the acronym ECT for the engine coolant temperature sensor rather than CTS, hence the cause of a little confusion.
In your PM you asked what the ECT is used to control. Note that , technically, the ECT doesn't "control anything. The ECT is one of several inputs to the EEC-IV computer, and then the computer uses those inputs to control various engine functions. I can't say for sure that the algorithm will be the same across all manufacturers and years. A couple of ways I know the engine management algorithm is effected by engine temperature:
When the engine is too warm or to cold, the will computer will choose not to lock up the torque converter clutch in an automatic transmission. This was true for an '88 Chev I had, too.
Engine temperature is a minor player in determining fuel mixture. When the engine is cold, the computer operates in warm-up mode, where it chooses to run a tad rich. As the engine warms up, it will lean out the mixture a little to run at optimum.
I'm sure there are other ways that temperature effects the engine management strategy, but I'm not aware of them. I know it would bev fun to get inside the engine's brain to figyure out what it's thinking, but I haven't yet found an engineering report that would allow for that kind of detail.

 

Thanks mrshorty, what I`ve read in some the posts it seemed that the ECT was more of a major player in the running of the engine than that. I didn`t realize that it had some effect in controlling the TCC. Thats some good information. Continue giving good advice.