Ambient temperature reading
 

Hi Folks,

This is the first thing on my 2013 FR-S, with 22,000 miles, that doesn't seem to be quite right.

I know, I should consider myself lucky - :)

The ambient air temperature reading seems to not want to go over 76 degrees F, regardless of the outside air temperature. Yes, it's been up to 95 degrees F in these parts here lately. Even after driving several miles (city driving) it seems to be stuck on 76 degrees.

I know, this is a first world problem - :D

My question is that how is your air temperature gauge read? Hi, low, right on?

If it's off, by about how much?


Thanks,


humfrz

Mine did read about 3 degrees high until I relocated the sensor. It sits right next to the radiator and picks up heat. Bad design. I moved it forward from its current spot and now it's mostly accurate. You have to be moving though. When the car sits in traffic it reads high again.

Mine is only accurate when the car is moving, otherwise it reads high.

As long as the sensor is near the engine it'll read "hotter" because its next to a hot engine with no air flow. It's not that it's misreading, its just that its actually hotter air until you start moving again.


As for the OP, to me, I'd start troubleshooting with the sensor.


EDIT: Wait. for some reason I was thinking we were discussing the engine air intake temp sensor... not the reading on the gauge cluster... :bonk: In that case, recently mine has read at most 110degF (90-95 actual) when I get out to my car after work.and start it up. It cools down after starting to drive.

The highest mine has gone is 40. Has been as low as -25 though.

It's pretty accurate on mine especially once moving and not standing still, I think it is able to be adjusted it in techstream however as I could've sworn there was a ambient air temp offset value in there somewhere

Mine is always about 10 degrees F high.

Yes. If you relocate the temp sensor forward and away from the radiator, put a piece of foil between it and the radiator to act as a heat shield, you can recalibrate it in techstream to make it 100% accurate. I haven't recalibrated mine yet.

Maybe you got the Bicentennial edition. :iono: