[fiathead]

Has anyone else had issues with the external temp gauge on the instrument cluster? Mine works mostly, but will often fail to show the correct temp. For instance, it will be 35 degrees outside and my car will show an accurate 61 degrees when started in the garage. While driving, it will drop to about 58 degrees after a couple of minutes. When I get to work, which is about a 20 minute drive, it will have dropped to maybe 45 degrees and hold that for the last 10 minutes. I'm wondering if I may have a bad sensor in the system.

 

[jonesthestress]

Has anyone else had issues with the external temp gauge on the instrument cluster? Mine works mostly, but will often fail to show the correct temp. For instance, it will be 35 degrees outside and my car will show an accurate 61 degrees when started in the garage. While driving, it will drop to about 58 degrees after a couple of minutes. When I get to work, which is about a 20 minute drive, it will have dropped to maybe 45 degrees and hold that for the last 10 minutes. I'm wondering if I may have a bad sensor in the system.

Mine seems to read fairly accurately, not in the heady heights that you inhabit though! Here in UK generally sub 10 C and I've have had a few frost warning beeps along with a snow flake just above the temp reading.

 

[fabricio27]

Has anyone else had issues with the external temp gauge on the instrument cluster? Mine works mostly, but will often fail to show the correct temp. For instance, it will be 35 degrees outside and my car will show an accurate 61 degrees when started in the garage. While driving, it will drop to about 58 degrees after a couple of minutes. When I get to work, which is about a 20 minute drive, it will have dropped to maybe 45 degrees and hold that for the last 10 minutes. I'm wondering if I may have a bad sensor in the system.

My Lusso corrects the right temperature itself when I go freeway speeds for a extended period of time. Under freeway speeds, its sits at the wrong temperature.

 

[PureAdrenaline]

First off the temperature will not change until the car has been moving for a while. Most manufacturers have a delay built into the computer. On GM cars it was somewhere around 10 minutes depending on your driving conditions. This is to prevent false readings from setting in hot areas. Second you will always get more accurate readings while moving because you have fresh air blowing across the sensor...the slower you go the more chance of getting hot air off the engine. Third most the time in warm weather it will always read higher than the true ambient temperature due to road heat soaking from the sun and other vehicle traffic...but that is the real temperature that the sensor is seeing. Just my thoughts.

Tim...yours sounds a bit strange. Is your sensor blocked by anything?

 

[fiathead]

I'll have to go hunting for the sensor to see if it's being blocked. I'm used to our other cars which are usually reading accurately by the time I leave the neighborhood. One is a BMW and the others an F150. I could imagine the Germans over thinking the issue and having a complete computer dedicated to getting the correct temperature based on the earth's rotation and the local political climate, but even the Ford seems to be pretty accurate. I think that one uses a milk jug with a balloon on top and a Popsicle stick glued to it for temp readings.

I'll check the ducting in front to see if there might be something blocking the sensor.

Thanks!

 

[PureAdrenaline]

I'll have to go hunting for the sensor to see if it's being blocked. I'm used to our other cars which are usually reading accurately by the time I leave the neighborhood. One is a BMW and the others an F150. I could imagine the Germans over thinking the issue and having a complete computer dedicated to getting the correct temperature based on the earth's rotation and the local political climate, but even the Ford seems to be pretty accurate. I think that one uses a milk jug with a balloon on top and a Popsicle stick glued to it for temp readings.

I'll check the ducting in front to see if there might be something blocking the sensor.

Thanks!

Behind the lower grill opening on the drivers side.

 

[Redtoys]

My NC was incredibly slow at adjusting to higher temperatures. It would drop colder very quickly but would show 75 degrees (my garage temp) on 110 plus days. No other car had this issue, but don't expect the Fiat one to be any better.