P0117 coolant sensor temporary workaround??

I unfortunately have the dreaded head gasket leak - which caused my coolant to go very low - thankfully the engine still runs, I put in coolant, and get a coolant reading on Torque Pro, but the sensor seems to stop working once it warms up.

Anyone with experience swapping this crazy thing? It seems to be a super hard project, but I'm short on money right now

As always any help is appreciated!

 

Not really - an engine rebuild / head gasket costs far more than a $20 sensor. As can be seen in many posts, the known engine failure does not stop the car from running. It causes some engine knocks at start (which I rarely see).

The sensor seems to be running ok after bathing in coolant for two days (eg it was pretty dry when the coolant was 4 qts low - now after 2 days, it's running).

Now the heater is not functioning