P0116 means Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit Range/Performance. The coolant temperature reading does not make sense compared with other information, such as how long the engine has run or the intake air temperature. It is a generic OBD-II code, so the definition is the same on any make, but the most likely cause varies by engine; confirm with a scan tool and the service information for your vehicle before buying parts.
What P0116 means
The coolant temperature reading feeds many systems: warm-up fueling, ignition timing, idle speed, cooling fan control, transmission shift timing and often the dash gauge. A wrong reading causes symptoms far beyond the cooling system, and a real overheat can damage an engine quickly. Confirm the actual temperature with a scan tool or an infrared thermometer before replacing parts.
P0116 symptoms
- Check engine light
- Temperature gauge reading oddly
- Warm-up taking longer than normal
Common causes of P0116
- Thermostat stuck open
- Sensor reading inaccurately
- Low coolant or air pockets around the sensor
How to diagnose P0116
- Watch the coolant temperature climb from a cold start
- Check the coolant level and bleed the system
- Compare with an infrared thermometer reading
Can you drive with P0116?
Usually yes, but confirm the engine is not overheating.
P0116 tips
This code often appears with a thermostat stuck open in cold weather, because the engine warms more slowly than the computer expects.
Will P0116 clear itself?
If the fault stops, the computer turns off the check engine light by itself after several drive cycles without seeing it again, and the code stays in memory as history for a while. Clearing P0116 with a scan tool after a repair is fine, but if the cause is still there the code returns, sometimes within one drive. Disconnecting the battery also clears codes on most vehicles, but it erases learned fuel trims and idle settings as well.
Related codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| P0115 | Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit |
| P0128 | Coolant Thermostat (Coolant Temperature Below Thermostat Regulating Temperature) |
| P0117 | Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor 1 Circuit Low |
Guides that help
When it is more than a sensor
Most cooling codes end with a thermostat, sensor, fan or leak repair. If the engine overheated badly enough to fail the head gasket or warp the heads, compare a repair against a replacement on our engines page and read engine replacement cost.
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