DTC P0128: ECT Less Than Thermostat Regulating Temperature: Description

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 7 other vehicles, including the 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2002 Pontiac Bonneville, 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 2002 Chevrolet Impala, and 2002 Buick Regal. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

An Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor monitors the temperature of the coolant. This input is used by the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) for engine control and as an enabling criteria for some diagnostics. The airflow coming into the engine is accumulated and used to determine if the engine has been driven within conditions that would allow the engine coolant to heat up normally to the thermostat regulating temperature. If the coolant temperature does not increase normally or does not reach regulating temperature of the thermostat, diagnostics that use engine coolant temperature as enabling criteria may not run when expected. If engine coolant fails to reach a preset target temperature before a calculated airflow is accumulated DTC P0128 will set. This DTC will only run once per ignition cycle within the enabling conditions.