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Thread: Outside air temperature sensor?

  1. #1
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    Outside air temperature sensor?



    My dash says it's 122 degrees F outside.

    Looked through a couple o' sources (Bentley's,, Chilton's, online manual, and forums) and could not find the sensor location.

    Found a post on here that says it's somewhere on the front of the car...?

    Maybe a coincidence but it started reading high after a headlamp blew out. I drove for a couple days with the light out, and on day 2 the temp started going up until it topped out at 122.

    Any ideas or suggestions? Anyone know or have a pic of where the sensor is -- or if I just missed it in the Bentley's manual gimme a page number?

    Thanks in advance,

    Aaron

  2. #2
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    i think it's located somewhere in the front driver's wheel well

  3. #3
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    it is under the front bumper on the driverside. It is pointing toward the rear of the car in the indentation in the airdeflector. There is a DIY on this.
    Stay in school...fishes do.

  4. #4
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    They are only $40 for them.

  5. #5
    nathancarter is offline Stretch Haters Club #1 BMW CCA Member
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    Usually this problem is caused by damage to the wheel well - e.g. driving over a curb and ripping out the wheel well liner and the temperature sensor with it. When that happens, the circuit to the probe is interrupted and the dash display reads -40F.

    Based on your description that the temperature "started going up" instead of immediately reading -40 or +122 (the minimum and maximum values), my speculation is that the temperature sensor itself is bad, and the wires are probably not damaged - that's a good thing.

    I'd start by disconnecting the temperature sensor altogether and see if the dash shows -40. If that's the case, then you probably just need a new temperature probe. If you remove the temperature sensor and the dash still shows +122, then you have a short in the wires somewhere (the wires are broken and touching each other).



    Last edited by nathancarter; 12-01-2008 at 10:58 AM.

  6. #6
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    This could explain my situation - out of nowhere my car started telling me it's -40F... It's not that cold here in New York City!

    Could the wires be screwed up or is it definitely the sensor?

  7. #7
    nathancarter is offline Stretch Haters Club #1 BMW CCA Member
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    If it says -40 then it's effectively an open circuit. It's likely one of the following four situations:
    - a wire is broken
    - the probe is broken
    - the probe is disconnected
    - the probe is gone outright (run over any curbs lately?)

    Your first step will be a visual inspection of the temperature probe - it should look like my second photo, above.
    Second step will be to disconnect and reconnect the probe (in case it's just loose) and see if anything changes.
    Third step will be to remove the probe and put a short wire jumper over the terminals in the probe connector. If the wires are good, the temperature will read +122 due to the closed circuit. If there's a break in the wire somewhere, the temperature will read -40 due to the open circuit.

  8. #8
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    Took a look in the wheel well this morning and saw a huge hunk of ice - removing it exposed a wire dangling... Only one though... Still very cold out and was wearing a suit, so rolling around the ground to get a closer look was not an option...

    Hopefully the sensor is still good and I just have to re-attache the wire to the jack.

  9. #9
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    Temp sensor at +122

    I replaced my sensor some time ago and still reads +122 on the dash. So I removed it again and pulled the harness out through the side marker opening. I shorted the blu/brn and blu/red and still reads +122. So open or closed circuit it reads +122. I read somewhere that it could take some time to reset. I this true? I checked the continuity and the blu/brn is definitely connnected to ground. The blu/red has about 3.4K ohms between ground. I also checked the impedance of the sensor. At room temp (75° room temp) is has about 4.11K ohms. At outside temp (100°) direct sunlight it reads 2.13K ohms. Conclusion is sensor is functioning and increases as temp rises.

    Does anyone have an ideas about why I cant get the temp on the dash to change?

    Thanks,
    Jim

  10. #10
    nathancarter is offline Stretch Haters Club #1 BMW CCA Member
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    Other folks have reported that it's difficult to get the replacement sensor to seat properly on the wiring harness - you have to plug it in, then push it together with a bit of force to get everything to connect properly.

  11. #11
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    something weird, i just disconnected it and it looks like a black little needle looking thing, after i disconnected it, i turned my air on and it was COLDD again, the dash reads -40. is it okay if i leave it off for now until i get a new peice?

  12. #12
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    Talking 2001 E46 330i Ambient Temperature Sensor

    Many have been talking about symptom relating to the vehicles outside temperature gauge bouncing all over the place b/w 122 to - 40 degrees, causing the A/C to turn on and off sporadically. This is the work of a faulty ambient temperature sensor to be sure.

    Before spending the 20-40 dollars to replace the sensor (if it is undamaged, take a moment to look inside the housing of the sensor itself (where it makes contact with the wire harness). Inside the sensor body are two tiny metal contacts....one of mine was coated with a light corrosion. With some puny needle nose grips, I scraped at the contact a few times and reassembled back into the plug. Presto! Problem fixed without replacement.

    Just an FYI before you spend your money on a new sensor you might not need.

    Cheers, Scott

  13. #13
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    Thumbs up

    Thanks for the great post and thanks ZenFAUST for the suggestion.

    My temperature was bouncing around from 36 degrees Celcius to - 2 playing havoc with the AC.

    I disconnected the sensor and found one of the pins coated with green corrosion. Cleaned it with a pair of needle nosed pliers and temperature reading is now working properly.

    Thanks again !!

    Harry

  14. #14
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    We have the outside Ambient temperature sensors.

    They are mostly the cause of the -40 and the +122.

    Again watch for corrosion like ^.


    Click HERE for the sensor.








    Thanks and i hope that helps.


    ECS
    Last edited by ECSTuning; 12-27-2011 at 09:41 AM.

  15. #15
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    i just got my car and it reads 122. so after finding this thread i go look under the car. my sensor is gone and so is the pig tail for it. there are 2 wires hanging out. im guessing they went to the sensor since there is nothing else missing from there(that i know of)

  16. #16
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    Hi there I was trying 2day to put the new temp sensor & socket b/c my car doesn't have it. First I cut the black tape covering the wires near the air intake or front light but Im unable to find the blue-hanging wires. This is what I found:

    1. blue with green and a brown that goes to the corner light
    2. a lot of brown wires
    3. blue with brown, pink, brown and blue with red that run down to the horn, I checked this all the way till there reach the horn

    Any ideas on what to do next?
    Sahara Beige 323i 5MT, Bilstein struts, Carbon Fiber BMW Performance Strut Bar, Carbon Fiber DINAN Cold Air Intake, BMW BBS Style 124 staggered 18" rims, Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40 & 255/35, Front plate delete, Debadge, LED Eagle Eye Tailights, BMW Clear corners, BMW rear License Plate PDC sensors

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  17. #17
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    My sensor.is good but I have 2 wires in the same area but on the passenger side, any ideas?

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by base1er View Post
    My sensor.is good but I have 2 wires in the same area but on the passenger side, any ideas?
    Fog light wires maybe? Is the fog light working?
    Sahara Beige 323i 5MT, Bilstein struts, Carbon Fiber BMW Performance Strut Bar, Carbon Fiber DINAN Cold Air Intake, BMW BBS Style 124 staggered 18" rims, Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40 & 255/35, Front plate delete, Debadge, LED Eagle Eye Tailights, BMW Clear corners, BMW rear License Plate PDC sensors

    Monaco Blue 318i Auto, Bilstein struts, BMW front grills and finisher trims of 335i, BMW Style 366 staggered 19" rims, No runflats just M mobility kit, BMW M dead pedal, Front plate delete, Debadge, AC Schnitzer replica rear trunk spoiler, BMW OEM accesories:Umbrella, Rubber floor mats, Trunk Bag Hook, 1st aid kit, Tire preasure gauge, Oil storage bag, Tire tote spare wheel for trips

  19. #19
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    How many wires are not connected to anything? Suppose you find three wires that are not connected to anything. Try holding two of them together with key "on" (motor off) and friend watching the dash to see if your displayed temp changes to 122F. Obviously you don't want to use the wires that go to the corner light or the horn.

    Last year I replaced the ends of the wires because they had some corrosion. Cut back harness wires until I found clean copper, twisted on new wires, soldered them together, and covered with heat shrink tubing. But recently I got the -40F or -37F temps again! Cleaned off the pins on the sensor as described above but that didn't really help. So took apart the plug (requires small pointy pick or needle to release wires from turquoise plug) and tightened the crimp on the metal box connectors where they attach to the white wires. That seemed to fix it.

    Later I put some solder on those crimps too. But be careful... I put too much solder on the right/lower one in the 3rd photo, and it wouldn't fit all the way back into the turquoise plug. I had to shave off some of the solder to get it back together. I also put some more thermal paste (leftover from replacing a laptop fan) on the pointy end of the sensor--hopefully that is what was on there before. Here are some pix:

    Quote Originally Posted by DAES View Post
    Hi there I was trying 2day to put the new temp sensor & socket b/c my car doesn't have it. First I cut the black tape covering the wires near the air intake or front light but Im unable to find the blue-hanging wires. This is what I found:

    1. blue with green and a brown that goes to the corner light
    2. a lot of brown wires
    3. blue with brown, pink, brown and blue with red that run down to the horn, I checked this all the way till there reach the horn

    Any ideas on what to do next?
    Attached Images Attached Images

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by LivesNearCostco View Post
    How many wires are not connected to anything? Suppose you find three wires that are not connected to anything. Try holding two of them together with key "on" (motor off) and friend watching the dash to see if your displayed temp changes to 122F. Obviously you don't want to use the wires that go to the corner light or the horn.

    Last year I replaced the ends of the wires because they had some corrosion. Cut back harness wires until I found clean copper, twisted on new wires, soldered them together, and covered with heat shrink tubing. But recently I got the -40F or -37F temps again! Cleaned off the pins on the sensor as described above but that didn't really help. So took apart the plug (requires small pointy pick or needle to release wires from turquoise plug) and tightened the crimp on the metal box connectors where they attach to the white wires. That seemed to fix it.

    Later I put some solder on those crimps too. But be careful... I put too much solder on the right/lower one in the 3rd photo, and it wouldn't fit all the way back into the turquoise plug. I had to shave off some of the solder to get it back together. I also put some more thermal paste (leftover from replacing a laptop fan) on the pointy end of the sensor--hopefully that is what was on there before. Here are some pix:
    Nice pics! My problem is that there are no loose wires. All the ones I see are conected to something. The ones that should go to the temp sensor are supposed to be blue right?
    Sahara Beige 323i 5MT, Bilstein struts, Carbon Fiber BMW Performance Strut Bar, Carbon Fiber DINAN Cold Air Intake, BMW BBS Style 124 staggered 18" rims, Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40 & 255/35, Front plate delete, Debadge, LED Eagle Eye Tailights, BMW Clear corners, BMW rear License Plate PDC sensors

    Monaco Blue 318i Auto, Bilstein struts, BMW front grills and finisher trims of 335i, BMW Style 366 staggered 19" rims, No runflats just M mobility kit, BMW M dead pedal, Front plate delete, Debadge, AC Schnitzer replica rear trunk spoiler, BMW OEM accesories:Umbrella, Rubber floor mats, Trunk Bag Hook, 1st aid kit, Tire preasure gauge, Oil storage bag, Tire tote spare wheel for trips

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by DAES View Post
    Nice pics! My problem is that there are no loose wires. All the ones I see are conected to something. The ones that should go to the temp sensor are supposed to be blue right?
    Was your OBC retrofitted? If so you might not have the temp sensor at all. It only came on cars that had the the auto climate control or OBC (or both) from the factory

  22. #22
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    After replacing the sensor 3 times over 5 years, I mounted the last one way up inside the inside of the bumper. Now the wife is no longer able to yank it off by running into parking lot curbs.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by TerraPhantm View Post
    Was your OBC retrofitted? If so you might not have the temp sensor at all. It only came on cars that had the the auto climate control or OBC (or both) from the factory
    This might be actually a good explanation, I am thinking that maybe my car didn't have one from factory although my e46 doesnt seem like its obc was retrofitted and it does have auto climate control.
    Sahara Beige 323i 5MT, Bilstein struts, Carbon Fiber BMW Performance Strut Bar, Carbon Fiber DINAN Cold Air Intake, BMW BBS Style 124 staggered 18" rims, Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40 & 255/35, Front plate delete, Debadge, LED Eagle Eye Tailights, BMW Clear corners, BMW rear License Plate PDC sensors

    Monaco Blue 318i Auto, Bilstein struts, BMW front grills and finisher trims of 335i, BMW Style 366 staggered 19" rims, No runflats just M mobility kit, BMW M dead pedal, Front plate delete, Debadge, AC Schnitzer replica rear trunk spoiler, BMW OEM accesories:Umbrella, Rubber floor mats, Trunk Bag Hook, 1st aid kit, Tire preasure gauge, Oil storage bag, Tire tote spare wheel for trips

  24. #24
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    Pretty awful spot for a sensor... very helpful thread.
    It just needs ltw's, clears and a drop.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Devour
    Pretty awful spot for a sensor... very helpful thread.
    Never had to replace one.

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    by Dane Wilson, on Flickr

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