Can anyone confirm that the external temp reading on a C5 will read negative numbers? Realizing that most of you don't let your Vettes see this, but mine is a dd, and this morning, pulling out of the garage, I was reading 3 degrees, and within a mile I was reading zero for the rest of the 12 miles to work. It could have been correct at zero degrees, but I kept waiting to see -1, and it never happened.

TIA

Sempi

 

Can't help you there, and MAN I hope I never find out

 

Hope this helps somewhat, although it will not directly answer your question.

From the HVAC section of the factory service manual published by Helm: "The sensor operates within a temperature range between -40 degrees C (-40 degrees F) to 101 degrees C (215 degrees F). The sensor signal varies between 0-5 volts."

Later on in the same section: "The Driver Information Center (DIC) displays the ambient air temperature value that it receives from the HVAC control module through a class 2 message. (say WHAT?) The scan tool has the ability to update the displayed ambient air temperature. The ambient air temperature value is displayed or updated under the following conditions:

At start up with the engine off more than 3 hours - displays real-time temperature

At start up with the engine off less than 3 hours - displays last stored temperature

Vehicle moving above 26 km/h (16 mph) for 1.5 minutes - displays real time temperature

Vehicle moving above 72 km/h (45 mph) for 1 minute - displays real-time temperature"

But nowhere in this diatribe does it specifically state that the HVAC module will display negative ambient temperature readings. One can only conclude.

 

Thanks for the info, WolfManJ-,
That's good, but would still be interesting to find out. I was also wondering if I was going to have trouble with the throttle bypass I did while I was in Calif. last year. So far, no ill effects.
Someone on this forum has to know the answer to this, as I be hoping I don't have to find out.

Sempi
Stuck in the Siberian mid-West.
Lenore (my '98 Coupe) hates this weather as much as I do, having
grown up in Arizona.

 

I'll ***-u-me yes, since I saw -1 degree Centigrade last night (31 degrees F.) The next time you are in sub-32 degree F weather, just flip the DIC over to metric, and you'll see negative numbers (in Centigrade anyway). No reason to believe it would not read below 0 degrees F.

 

Every time I wash the car my goes in steps down to -32 degrees, after the connector has time to dry it works fine. So YES it will display negative numbers.

 

Thanks for the info, guys. Just found that out as I did switch it over to centigrade.
It's still too cold, no matter how you read it.


Sempi

 

Yes, it will. I saw -5f on it this past Friday. The roads were clean and not salty, so I took it to work. First time I drove it in 2005 actually.

Lowest I ever saw on it was -12.