So I just got done putting my engine back in after pulling it out the .... unplanned way (intake, head, block, leaving all wiring in the car/in the way) and all is swell except for one problem.

I threw a code P0116: Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit Range/Performance Problem. The symptoms seem to be:

So what did I forget to plug in, break the wire or sensor on?

 

make sure you dont have air in your cooling system, make sure its bleed properly with billmans method

 

Thanks apme123, though still wouldn't account for the code (which was thrown immediately) or the fan not coming on.

 

aw c'mon, where's Billman? Working on paying jobs instead of remotely solving mine for free?

 

seems silly in retrospect. I cleared the code and restarted and it's all gone. I'm pretty sure the code was thrown because there was no coolant at the sensor yet, so it was just in air and threw the 'out of range' code.