I found this the other night. It looks like it could very well be a temperature sensor. It makes sense in that it's located in an area that might not allow it to react quickly. I slipped a piece of paper behind it so it would show up better in the photos. Can anyone confirm that this is the temperature sensor?

 

I found this the other night. It looks like it could very well be a temperature sensor. It makes sense in that it's located in an area that might not allow it to react quickly. I slipped a piece of paper behind it so it would show up better in the photos. Can anyone confirm that this is the temperature sensor?

Unplug it and see whether it changes the Temp readings???

 

Yup, mine does the same thing. Did you ever get this resolved?

 

lostcause : Does anyone know where the actual sensor for the outside temp gauge is located? I've noticed that the temp reported by the DIC is often several degrees higher than the true outside temp and am wondering if maybe the sensor is in an area that gets hotter or maybe near something that reflects heat at it or something like that.

First you have to define "true outside temperature", since it varies with terrain and other factors.

Second you have to recognize that the car is driving on a road, and road surfaces get heated by the sun, thereby heating the air that the car is driving through.

My DIC typically indicates air temperatureto be 2-3 degrees warmer than other readings in the afternoon of a sunny day. It reads roughly the same early in the morning and on rainy or heavily overcast days.

I will see fluctuations of 3-4 degrees (or more) when I drive from shaded rural roads to building-lined city streets to urban highways. Tops of hills are warmer than low areas, especially if there is water there.

The BCM uses an algorithm to attempt to reduce the effect of engine heat on the temperature reading. Sometimes it is more effective than at other times, as has been reported here on the forum.

 

Not talking about a 2 or 3 degree fluctuation. This is up to 20 degrees...! I see some discussions here about this issue. But there is clearly something going on with this one. It's just that the dealer is 1 hour away. :brentil:

 

Thanks to Mark in INdiana for the photos. Found it right away. It was facing backwards. Unplugged it, turned it around to face the front, and bingo! It now works as it did for the first 6k miles. :dunno:

 

73-911 : Thanks to Mark in INdiana for the photos. Found it right away. It was facing backwards. Unplugged it, turned it around to face the front, and bingo! It now works as it did for the first 6k miles.

That's pretty interesting. I wonder how many others are insalled incorrectly ?

BTW: Thanks for following up with a solution. Too many of these threads end with .....nothing.