Inaccurate Air Temp. Sensor

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Mar 14, 2007 | 12:27 AM

CORSAIR II

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From: Corn country IN

Inaccurate Air Temp. Sensor

I just noticed today that the outside temp. reading was about 20* lower than it should have been? Does anyone know what might be the issue and what else a bad sensor might affect?

Mar 14, 2007 | 01:04 AM

WilliamCall

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From: Southern Maryland

I had the same thing happen to me, this winter. After about a week of temperatures being below freezing, one day the temperature rose to 60. So I took the vet out for a drive. The ambient air temperature display got as high as 44, when the real temperature was 60. I was convenced that the sensor had gone bad. So I ordered a new one ($6.80). However, that was just a one time occurance. The temperature display has been very accurate since. Anyway, I've got a spare, and I'll keep monitoring my ambient air temperature display.
I'm guessing that the ambient ait temperature sensor provides an input signal to the HVAC control module. Other than that, I'm not sure what the ambient air temperature is used for.

Mar 14, 2007 | 01:32 AM

CORSAIR II

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From: Corn country IN

Thanks. I'll hold off doing anything but monitoring it.

Mar 14, 2007 | 01:33 AM

bomax

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I used some electronics cleaner to clean mine. Worked well.

Mar 14, 2007 | 07:00 AM

Vetteman Jack

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If it doesn't begin to read right, just get a new temp sensor. They are cheap and easy to install.

Mar 14, 2007 | 10:06 AM

CORSAIR II

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From: Corn country IN

It worked fine this morning!

Mar 14, 2007 | 11:41 AM

65GGvert

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From: Kannapolis NC

Quote:

Originally Posted by CORSAIR II

I just noticed today that the outside temp. reading was about 20* lower than it should have been? Does anyone know what might be the issue and what else a bad sensor might affect?

If you read it before driving, it will possibly be incorrect. Read in the owner's manual, you have to drive above a certain speed for a certain time to get an accurate reading. Don't remember the specifics. If it remains a problem, do a search. I have posted pictures of the sensor location several times for this question, including once earlier today. It's easy to change.
Okay, couldn't stand it, I looked it up, here's your quote from the manual. It'll read what it was when you parked until:

If the outside temperature goes up, the displayed temperature will not change until:

The vehicle's speed is above 16 mph (26 km/h) for one and a half minutes.
The vehicle's speed is above 45 mph (72 km/h) for one minute

Last edited by 65GGvert; Mar 14, 2007 at 11:46 AM.

Mar 14, 2007 | 11:47 AM

bobc997615

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From: bloomington Indiana

If it is like my Bonne SSE, when the outside temp sensor goes bad, depending high or low temp, the AC or heater may not work accordingly. A reading of 20 degrees by a bad OTS may cause the AC not to work if it is actually 90 degrees outside.