Is it common that a mechanic asks the customer to find a part because he doesn't know the proper name?

A few days ago my daughter borrowed my 2005 Mazda, Tribute, 6 cyl. While she was driving she noticed white/grey smoke coming from the left side of the hood and the thermostat went to HOT. Luckily there was an automotive repair shop right down the street so she took it there. Mechanic said there was no coolant in the radiator and that there was a leak somewhere. We told him to go ahead and start the repair. A couple of hours later he told her the leak was fixed. Invoice said: "Thermostat, hose replaced. Sealed metal pipe behind water pump. Still need cooling fan temp sensor. Relay is good just need sensor." He said his parts guy wasn't able to find the part in the system and asked us to order it from the dealer.

When I called the Mazda dealer they couldn't find that part. One of the parts guys recommended I get the 'Water Outlet', because it should contain that part...but he wasn't sure.

I relayed the message to the mechanic and he said maybe the needed part had a different name but he wasn't sure and too busy to deal with it at the moment.

So I started googling....'which part is necessary for cooling fan to work properly' and found the following parts:

Cooling Fan Temperature Switch (Hayden)

Coolant Temp Sensor (Autozone)

Cooling fan control unit module (Duralast)

When my daughter called the mechanic again and mentioned these parts to him, he said it could be the cooling fan switch instead of the cooling fan temp. sensor.

Today I read somewhere that the cooling fan temp. switch and coolant temperature sensor are the same....needless to say I am more confused than ever.

She has only driven the car 15 miles since she got it back from the shop. It didn't overheat and no warning lights came on but I would rather have him fix it properly if that part is needed to prevent the car from overheating. He told her she could drive it as long as she turned on the AC and it wouldn't overheat.

Shouldn't the mechanic know what part he needs? Help!!

Dazed and confused in Atlanta,
Marina

 

Hi and yes the mechanic should know the correct words , more commonly known as a Temperature sensor since day dot as it does not "switch" but does "sense" as its a variable nature .
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...mageBasicHover

There is no actual temp switch in those models , the ECU (computer) reads the level of output of the sensor (the temp gauge on the dash) and decides what to do ie: turn on fans/adjust fuel or ignition , its a poor choice of words imo and no wonder you are confused .
The sensor atm must be working if your gauge is working , so i'm guessing the mech is replacing it just in case as it has been under stress during the overtemp saga , i would too imo .
https://www.yourmechanic.com/estimat...or-replacement

The links are just for your entertainment , a sensor should be just a few bucks + fitting costs , cheers Paul

 

Different manufacturers use different names for the same part. I've seen different name used between the factory Mazda workshop manual and Mazda Electronic Parts Catalog.

 

Unfortunately is has become a worldwide phenomenon when things were what they actually are turning into something they are not , the snowflake/pc brigade + more-on's are responsible imo .

All sorts of stuff propagated by the more-on's to/for the other more-on's watching tv or reading

Common examples on the news
Footage or picture of an obvious wheeled front end loader , called a "bulldozer" , a grader called a bulldozer , a wheeled skid steer called a bulldozer
A sensor called a switch , a switch called a sensor and not to mention all those tv adverts , Doom is closer !
Paul

 

Thanks everybody for your responses!!

Mechanic decided the faulty part was the Coolant Temperature Pressure Sensor. Found one for $49 at Autozone. Daughter picked up car and everything seems to work.

Best Regards,
Marina