Engine senser broke "causes smoke"

[splasher]

Hi, I fitted a new cyl head a few weeks ago to my 2lte 2.4L and when the head was off I noticed that the engine senser just above the starter motor was hanging on by a a couple of wires. Over the last couple of days she has been reluctant to start from cold and loads of smoke which clears after a minute or so. Today I found that that senser has fallen apart and the wires broke. My question is what is this senser for and why should it cause bad starting. Any idea where I can get a replacement? Cheers all.

[NiftyNev]

Coolant Temperature Sensor. It's connected to the ECU to control fueling depending on engine temperature..

Nev

[splasher]

Thanks NiftyNev for your reply. I fitted a new coolant senser today and what a differance. These are a few of the advantages noticed so far== starts easier I only need to heat glow plugs once from cold, the green turbo light on the speedo now works (has never worked before), engine feels more responsive, a lot less smoke on start up. Once again cheers mate.