Loose temperature sensor?

Hi all,

I've had some issues with my macbook ever since I took off an outer shell cover to clean it.
Random shut offs, error messages that required me to reboot, empty kernel panics.

I got it to turn on only by pressing on the keypad in various places.
When I got under the hood, I found the exact source of what I needed to press in order to get it to turn on.
I have to press the temperature sensor and the black strip housing the airflow from the fan to get it to turn on without complications, which doesn't keep it on if it's too loose.

I've also been having temperature issues. Overheating and shutting off.

What's going on?

It sounds like the temperature sensor has become dislodged from the logic board. Everything on the logic board is critical - that's why the machine should never be disassembled unless you know what you're doing and it's out of warranty. Go to iFixit: The free repair manual, look up your model, find the location of the temperature sensor that you pushed down on. You may be able to repair it or replace it.