Yesterday my outside temperature reading increased to 92 when the actual temperature was in the 70's. I tried resetting using the 3 buttons as soon as I got home and it did not make any change to the temperature to provide the actual air temperature. Does this sound like a bad sensor or possibility of another problem? 2008 C6.

 

yea sounds like a bad sensor but check the fuse an make sure no broken wires to the sensor first

 

If you were moving along when you did the reset, and there was airflow over the sensor, then it should have gone back to the 70's. If the car was sitting still, then the radiant heat from the radiator is probably affecting the sensor and it is fine.

 

Yesterday I did the reset within a 1/2 hour of getting home after finding the reset information on the web. It did not look like it corrected the problem. I just did another reset after the car has been sitting since yesterday and left the car running for about 10 minutes. It looks like the reset may have corrected the problem today. The initial reading prior to the reset was 64. Upon resetting it went to 67 and stayed at that temperature which is correct. Yesterday when the car was still hot, it did not seem like the reset worked. It sure would be nice to know the logic in the computers that are now the brains of our cars.

 

The computer has some rules about how and when it reads the sensor, the ultimate goal is to give a realistic outside temp. If the reset is done right after driving the car, when the radiator is still warm, it will show very high as the sensor is only a couple of inches from the front of the radiator. Once the car has moved for a little while, the airflow will be closer to the actual outside temp and will be shown in real time by the computer.

It doesn't matter whether the car is running or not...it matters if it is moving.

Here's what my '07 Owners manual says about it:

"There is also a sensor located behind the front
bumper. This sensor reads the outside air
temperature and helps to maintain the temperature
inside the vehicle. Any cover on the front of the
vehicle could give a false reading in the
temperature.
If the outside temperature goes up, the displayed
temperature will not change until:
• The vehicle’s speed is above 12 mph (19 km/h)
for five minutes.
• The vehicle’s speed is above 32 mph (52 km/h)
for two and a half minutes.
These delays prevent false readings. If the
temperature goes down, the outside temperature
will be shown when you start the vehicle. If it
has been turned off for less than three hours, the
temperature will be recalled from the previous
vehicle operation."


Lots of rules for the computer to follow...

 

Still have a problem. The reset did not correct. I have a new sensor on order. How do you pull the pin and disconnect the plug from the sensor. I have tried pushing the pin from the bottom and it does not move. Also, not sure how to release the plug. If I could remove the plug, I could possibly get the pin out. I don't understand why engineers make everything so difficult.

 

Finally got the damn pin out. The new sensor is gong to be fastened with a SS bolt. The main concern when trying to remove the pin is the possibility of breaking the mounting bracket. I would still like to hear from someone on how to easily remove the pin. The location makes it very difficult to use tools. This has to be a $200 repair at a dealer for a $10 part.