eatc reporting wrong outside temp

[ShoBad236]

What would cause this to happen? It says it's 56 degrees outside, and it's about 79. I went for a short drive and i usually check the temperature just about everytime i go somewhere. I haven't had it report the wrong temp before, I know there must be a sensor, but which one is it and is there anything else it could be? Thanks for any help.

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

try running the eatc self-test, i know theres a procedure for it on shotimes.com and im sure if you do a search youll see it here too. if your sensors are toast then maybe it will tell you which one. let us know what you find!

 

[DJ SHO]

If the thermistor for the outside temp is reading lower than it should, you might have a bad connection to it. The lower the voltage output from the thermistor the lower the temp reading. This is true because of it was unhooked the eatc would read the lowest temperature possible that it can display. Check the connections at the sensor. It's located in front of the radiator and behind the front headlight header panel about 6-8 inches down from the hood latch area. Seeing that the sensor is exposed to the elements all the time, there's a good possibility there might be a corroded wire or bad connection. Try wiggling it's wire connection to see if the temp reading changes.

<small>[ July 19, 2003, 03:29 AM: Message edited by: DJ SHO ]</small>

 

[ShoBad236]

I didn't recieve any errors on the test, the procedure is at SHOtimes for easy reference. I just had a new radiator put in a couple weeks ago. Maybe the connection is loose. I will take a look at it this weekend. Last night it said it was 73deg out, and i just checked it's 75deg at 7:00 am. So it seems to be working okay now. Thanks for all your help.

 

[ckinart]

ShoBad,

Did you happen to notice that your inaccurate temp. readings occurred when it was raining or damp outside? I had this problem with my '94 MTX where whenever it would rain, the temperature would be all over the place. I unplugged the sensor (connecters were clean), and applied some dielectric grease to the connectors, put it back together, and have had a correct temp. reading ever since, rain or shine.

Worth a shot!