P01BDEngine Oil Temperature Sensor B Circuit Intermittent/Erratic
- Generic OBD-II code · Powertrain
- Turns on the check-engine light
- Matters for the ITP
- Needs a drive cycle to confirm a fix
- How the car detects it
- The engine oil temperature sensor B is an NTC thermistor fed with 5 V through a resistor: the hotter the oil, the lower the signal voltage. The engine module uses the oil temperature for variable cam timing (Ford disables it with cold oil or a sensor fault), engine protection and the oil life monitor; many engines have no such sensor and use a calculated oil temperature instead. Sensor B is a second oil temperature sensor whose position is defined by the manufacturer. P01BD covers brief or erratic signal faults of sensor B, the counterpart of P0199 – typically a loose contact or a harness chafing as the engine moves. No manufacturer document using the B-sensor codes was found, so it is unclear who fits a sensor B; the description follows sensor A and CARB's circuit monitoring requirement.
- What you may notice
- Check engine light or only a stored code
- Jumping oil temperature values
- Usually no driving symptoms
- Likely causes
- LikelyLoose contact or corrosion at the sensor B connector
- PossibleHarness chafing intermittently
- PossibleSensor B with internal hairline crack
- Inspection (ITP)
- Matters for the ITP. While the check-engine light is on, the car fails the emissions check.
- Repair
- Medium · Often possible to do yourself.Typical cost: €30 – €250
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.