My 93 LS won't start when air temp is 30F and is very hard to start below 50F. Also radiator fans come on immediately. Starts/runs fine in warm weather or on restarts if engine is still somewhat warm.

Classic problem is temp sensor. However Temp gage seems to reads correctly. Is this possible with a bad temp sensor ?

I understand the engine coolant temp sensor feeds both the dashboard temp gage and the engine computer which in turns controls the radiator fans,

I pulled coolant temp sensor.
Measured the resistance – 32F =4650 ohms, 65F = 2207, 200F = 440
Pulled coolant sensor from a different Legacy.
Measured the resistance – 32F =4450 ohms, 65F = 2510, 200F = 440
Bought a coolant sensor from AutoZone (only source open)
Measured the resistance – 32F =4360 ohms, 65F = 2468, 200F = 390
Basically no difference.

Chilton's manual (#8259 pg 2-34) spec lists: 212F = 26-29 ohms
This is 1/10th what I measure for all 3 sensors at 200F.

Is Chilton's spec wrong or do I have 3 bad sensors ?

How can I diagnose/fix this starting problem ?

 

what do you mean hard to start? hard cranking over? batteries hate the cold weather! make sure you have enough cca to start the starter in the cold