Found something while fixing horn, PART 1
 

Found something while fixing horn, PART 1

While accessing my horns to fix a broken horn wire, I came across another broken wire leading to this sensor (one pic attached) which appears to be tapping into the coolant loop. The view in the picture is looking up from the driver’s side front open wheel well. (The wire is broken in two places, once at the connector, and completely severed out of the picture frame.) I have two questions –

what is this sensor or actuator?

and

why do I not have any error messages or problems from it?

Everything seems to be working fine; gauges, heater, etc. Any info or guidance would be appreciated.

Secondary PUMP (coolant)

Secondary water pump as above - It is part of the passenger heating system - allows circulation of hot water for the cabin heater after engine is off. If the pump part breaks, it can be catastrophic (lose all coolant).

Thanks for the helpful responses guys. I wasn't sure how to begin a search but you steered me in the right direction. I dug around for threads and found a few, usually regarding leaks. The cabin seems to heat up just fine, so I'm wondering if there is any risk of damage to anything with this component "disconnected" by the broken wire? I intend to fix it, but if I have until winter to get to it I will take my time and plan other work to go with it. I still am surprised there is no error message. Thanks again.

The main water pump pushes water when the engine is running. Don't know what harm will come from leaving it. The plastic gets brittle, so would plan to replace if you are opening the cooling system for other reasons. I broke mine trying to disconnect the hose for other work.

That pump runs all the time when the ignition is on even without starting the engine.

If it does run all the time, it may help eliminate hot spots on the head (and elsewhere) after the engine is shut down. If that is true, I would consider it important for engine longevity.