Hey guys, just curious if anyone else is having this problem. The thermometer in the dash is constantly 40 degrees or so off. I took it in about 4 months ago and the dealer replaced the body control module and problem seemed solved. Took it in for an oil change and it stopped working again. I took it to a different dealer who told me that the car needs to run for 20 minutes constantly, not stop and go, before the thermometer will register an accurate outside temperature. My service advisor told me it was just bad Chevy engineering. I've actually been driving and watched the temperature on the gauge rise from 68 degrees up to close to the correct temp. Today, it's reading 58 degrees. It's really 108 outside right now. I live in Phoenix, and it hasn't been 58 degrees at 2:00 in the afternoon in months....or at any time of day for that matter. Anybody else having this problem? Am I getting my chain jerked because I'm a girl and I must be "imagining" it?

 

I haven't seen this problem, but have they replaced the actual sensor itself?

 

Nope, they calibrated it, and they say there's not a problem because it needs to run for 20 minutes. When they replaced the body control module, they did run the car on the freeway over 60 miles an hour for 3 minutes...they said that was the test for that one. It's not a big deal, but it seems like a useless tool if it never reads correctly (or even remotely close.) Is it time to pitch a fit with the service manager or is it really bad Chevy engineering? I find it hard to believe that it will never work correctly.

 

Accurate temperature is actually required for certain computer calculations. Also, your chains being jerked.

 

I think your being jerked around a a little. Also 20 min seems a little long. Mine takes about 5 min to read the correct temp.

 

I'd definitely go back up there. If your gauge was off, it would be hotter than normal due to the fact that its baking in the sun. Not cooler. At all. How long of a drive is it to the dealer? Tell them you just drove it 20 minutes there and it still says 50 degrees.

 

you make a good point. mine has always read hotter from sitting in the sun, never cooler.

 

Thanks guys. I spent almost an hour on the phone with GM customer service today and they said that it is working to GM specifications and that it will take 20-30 minutes of straight driving (not stop and go) for it to reflect an accurate reading. They also said that it's not broken, it's just not working. They will not change any sensors or do anything to remedy it, nor would they let me speak to the next supervisor in line. It's just a feature they offer their customers in the SS and apparently my specifications don't matter as long as it meets GM's. I'm pondering my next move....

BTW, yesterday it was 108 on a thermometer I drove by and 72 in the car gauge.

Not a happy GM customer right now!

 

They can't not let you speak to someone above them. They just don't want you to so they can't get in trouble. Find another way to talk to their supervisor. Or try another dealer, maybe your just dealing with a bunch of douche bags.

I know there are a few gm techs on this site. See if you can't find one and see what other options you have.

 

The run for 20 minutes is bullshit.
mine works right away, after like say 2 mintues.
Also,
check to make sure your reading it in F and not C,
I think ther is an option to switch to C instead of F,

72 degrees Celsius = 161.6 degrees Fahrenheit
In wich case it would be read 50 degrees HOTTER
if it was 108 out.

 

you have a canadian temp sensor

 

Can you show me where it says that in the tech manual? There's so much misinformation on here it's ridiculous.

What I would do is find a friend with a working temp sensor and swap it out, it's right under the headlight (I think the drivers side, cant quite remember). Your sensor could be fried, who knows. The GM techs wont be able to replace it under warranty unless the checklist they follow specifically says to.

Let's keep in mind, it's a general idea of the temperature outside, not 100% accurate and no it doesn't use the temperature information for anything related to the rest of the car, that's what the expensive sensors are for. Besides, let's think about it, why would the motor need to know the outside temperature? That's just stupid lmao.

 

but if his temp is reading consistently around 40°C thats close to 104°F which might make it culprit
50°C which he experienced on the drive to the dealership would be 122°F...

maybe the GM techs realized this and are tooling him around having some fun

 

And what would make that special? Do sensors come in metric now?

it is possible the sensor was installed incorrectly, it's also possible the tech who installed it had greasy hands at the time, which answers all your questions. You need to go back to a DIFFERENT dealer, tell them the problem, make sure you reference the problem from the other dealer (which is already in the computer system) and it will get fixed.

There is NO CALIBRATION for the sensor. Let me repeat that. NO CALIBRATION. When you pull it up on the IDS or Tech2 it's the ambient temp sensor. It will cause a fault if the ambient sensor is reading higher than the TMAP1. Also it will trim your fuel rich or lean slightly depending on how far it's off. Remember, there's only a handful of unlocked tables tuners have to work with but there are ten times as many vars the computer uses.

According to a couple services I subscribe to, the sensor will fault if it is dirty, blocked or incorrectly located. The dash will update the display every 30 seconds. It will calculate an average, so if the temp shows 40, it could have been a mixture of 100 and -20 indicating a faulty sensor. Tech2 will show what's really going on and takes maybe 2 minutes to reach the conclusion. Take it back.