Hoss

My owner's manual says that the temperature reading on my overhead readout is the ambient temperature under the hood. Tell me now....why would anyone care about that? I want to know what the temperature OUTSIDE is.

For instance....it's 97 degrees outside right now where I'm at. When I got in my truck and cranked it up to head to lunch, the overhead readout said 75 degrees. Although I find it VERY hard to believe, I assume that means it's 75 degrees under my hood. Why would I care if it's only 75 degrees under my hood. It's freakin' hot outside and I want to know THAT temperature. Now...after a while of driving it was showing 101 degrees....which I assume is from the combined heat of the engine and the heat outside....but that still doesn't tell me what I really want to know.

Someone care to shed some light on this for me?? AND....if my truck is sitting out in the direct sunlight on a 97 degree day....how in the world could it only be 75 degrees under the hood. I KNOW they don't have THAT much insulation under there. ???

Hoss

Just to prime the bulb a little bit....

LRoy

I can't tell you why it read 75. I can tell you the sensor isn't really under the hood, it's on a bracket held on by one of the inner mounting screws for the left headlight. I suspect the computer is buffering or delaying the display as it seems very slow to react as you drive through temp. changes.<br><br>

bulabula

[quote author=Hoss link=board=17;threadid=15329;start=0#143919 date=1054319586]<br>My owner's manual says that the temperature reading on my overhead readout is the ambient temperature under the hood. Tell me now....why would anyone care about that? <br>[/quote]<br><br>Prob cuz many potential customers would wonder what that thingy on the hood is that the sales person said was a thermometer? The owners manual probably says that to minimize explanations to customers wondering about the temp readout saying its 75 when its a freakin' 95 outside.<br><br>I've only been driving for 29 years, and having a cute digital temp readout in my little road-burner to humor me once in a while is a cute little novelty.<br><br>I got AC in my truck; I'm mostly interested in temps inside the cab. I purposely avoided getting that auto tranny and those temperature worry's.<br><br>If my oven is baking something at 350F, how come its not 350F on the outside of the oven, but rather a nice 70F? The walls of the oven aren't THAT thick either.<br><br>What else does the manual say? I musta glossed over that part.

pwabbott

Ambient temperature by definition couldn't be under the hood as it is the &quot;temperature of the surrounding atmosphere&quot;. I have fount that it corresponds closely to the air temperature outside my truck. It has very little time delay in changing its reading. The last 4 miles to my house I start at 2200 ft elevation and climb to 3350 ft, then descend to 3200 ft. The temperature reading changes as the elevation changes. I have checked it against analytical thermometers and found it to agree within 1 degree.

On cold mornings when snow and slush are present, at 32 degrees my computer has always read 32 degrees. If I sit and let the engine warm the temperature increases to 33 degrees, However after I have travelled 200-300 ft the reading drops back to 32 degrees.

Zeedaddy

Also if I may add they in tha manual mention that the temperature IS NOT updated instantaniously...only when you are going over 20 MPH...I know mines been pretty accurate @ highway speeds or have been driving in the city alot

SuperGewl

I do believe it tells you that it takes about 5 minutes for it to give you the correct temperature, also if you believe those digital reaouts that the various banks and auto parts stores give you then you are mistaken. Most of them get there info from sources that are located at the airport or an official weather station which is usually nowhere near where you actually are. As the others have stated once you get moving the temperature is usually within out 1 degree of actual temerature of where you are. If yours doesn't seem to be correct them have it calibrated.<br>Just remember it doesn't get any better than this because if it did then you would be happy ;D

gadgets

Sounds to me like they've disabled the readout if you're not moving, so it displays the last MOVING temp reading; otherwise, it WOULD tell ya the temp under the hood (who cares???)<br><br>Once ya get going, the sensor is getting pushed thru the air, &amp; the reading is taken against that!<br><br>Seems reasonable...<br><br>Rene

Drafter

Once you get moving I find the display to be very accurate. At times on startup I have wondered how it could display what it does because I seriously doubt it is as warm in the garage as it says but by the time I get to the end of the block it is accurate. I pass some some banks on the way to work and sometimes compare my temp to the bank and find it to very close.

Hoss

[quote author=SuperGewl link=board=17;threadid=15329;start=0#144111 date=1054358695]<br>I do believe it tells you that it takes about 5 minutes for it to give you the correct temperature, also if you believe those digital reaouts that the various banks and auto parts stores give you then you are mistaken. Most of them get there info from sources that are located at the airport or an official weather station which is usually nowhere near where you actually are. As the others have stated once you get moving the temperature is usually within out 1 degree of actual temerature of where you are. If yours doesn't seem to be correct them have it calibrated.<br>Just remember it doesn't get any better than this because if it did then you would be happy ;D<br>[/quote]<br><br>Well...since I work at DFW Airport....which is the official center for all things weather related for the Dallas/Fort Worth area...then it would make sense for my thermometer to match the official numbers. <br><br>I did manage to find the thermometer (in front of the radiator next to the driver side headlight)...but I've also noticed that it seems to run high. For instance....Friday afternoon it was showing 104 when the termperature was only about 99. I think my issue is due to the &lt;20MPH thing...that's where I seem to notice the discrepancy. Once I start driving it seems to be more in line with the real world. <br><br>Okay. Case closed. Thanks. ;D

pwabbott

[quote author=SuperGewl link=board=17;threadid=15329;start=0#144111 date=1054358695]<br>. . , if you believe those digital reaouts that the various banks and auto parts stores give you then you are mistaken. Most of them get there info from sources that are located at the airport or an official weather station which is usually nowhere near where you actually are. ;D<br>[/quote]<br><br>Many of The Banks and Store buildings have their signs mount on the wall of the building or the roof. The sensors are located near the readout. We have one bank which has the sensor mounted some 24 inches above a black asphalt roof in direct sunlight. In the summer the temp readout is always about 15 degrees on the high side. <br><br>Sensors must be mounted in the shade in an area where there is generally a good air flow. On a vehicle there is no ideal place. Up front under a fender is about as good as it gets under the circumstances. 8)

pwabbott

Yesterday I downed a burger and fries at In-n-Out. Ambient temp was 95 degs, elevation 1800 ft. in the fourteen miles to my house, elevation 3200 ft, as the elevation changed the temp dropped to 79 deg then back up to 82 degs. At one stretch of road the temp was dropping 1 degree every 15 seconds. A couple of times there was a two degree jump in temp during the 14 miles. Can't be much of a delay built in when it's changing that often.

Hoss

I've decided that mine is just flat out wrong. It consistently ranges anywhere from 5 to 11 degrees higher than the actual temperature. I'm not impressed with this part of my new truck at all. My old Ford was right on the money all the time.

mra35

I'm not sure how far mine is off, but does it really matter + or - a few degrees? I mean once it gets above 100 its just plain HOT there aint much difference between 102 and 105 it's still [blank]ing hot. Maybe it should not give us a temp just a word, like &quot;nice&quot;, &quot;warm&quot;, &quot;hot&quot; or &quot;frying your ... off&quot;. :P<br>I've been to Tx.in the summer, that's why I live in Colorado. Lived in Yuma Az. too, but that makes TX look downright chilly. 8)

Hoss

If it were just 1 or 2 degrees off I wouldn't mind....but when it reads 77 degrees on my drive in to work in the morning and the radio says it's 69 degrees then it bothers me a little bit. <br><br>For instance...right now it's 88 degrees where I'm at. Now I'm going out to my truck to check what it says.......hold on......dadgummit....stupid truck says 88 degrees. &gt; [undecided]