Originally Posted by
Empire
the ecu reads that coolant temp to tell how much fuel to dump. Some cars it is more crucial in than others. Nissans and Hondas will run like balls if that sensor is bad, if they run at all.
agreed. there's a different idle set for each temp range. if the car always thinks it's zero or "disconnected" it's going to always try and idle at some range, and dump a ton of fuel.
as far as the other issue, you need to stop being a cheapo and buy a new battery, or else you'll end up with a dead alternator soon too.