Scooby Fan Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Nothing too crucial here...just a little FYI. Maybe everyone knew this bit I did not:confused: Over the last week and a bit, in Vancouver, we have had a huge range of weather....warm and sunny (I played golf) to blizzard like snow(I shoveled the driveway again) My outside air temp in the dash display stayed pegged on 1* Celsius....nothing made it change....I even heated the sensor, in the grill, with a hairdryer until it was very warm to the touch....still pegged on 1* I took it to my dealer today and found out that the sensor is actually wired to read off the ABS sensor and only updates the temp every 2 Km..approx. It reads the air temp in the grill opening but gets its "Refresh" info from the brakes.:rolleyes:If you drive your car less than 2 Km the display just stays at it's last value......seems that during the week of wacky weather, all I did was very short trips and the display just stayed at 1* from the last time I drove over 2 Km......The tech said that it "Should" read the ambient temperature every time you start your car, but it does not always do that....sometimes just stays on its last reading. Sorry...no earth shaking news... just another Subaru quirk:spin: At least the visit was covered on warranty because I had complained of this before but never got around to taking it in. Off warranty 10 days ago. +1 for Specialty Subaru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Kinda sounds like the sensor is messed up and they don't want to fix it. I had an 01 Elantra with the factory Hyundai warranty. for some reason it ALWAYS went through light bulbs. Tail lights, head lights side marker lights ect... Although they're simple to replace, I would still take it back to the dealership since it was their problem to replace those things... Most of the time they did no problem... And with the number of lights this car went through (About 5 a month) I wasn't going to foot the bill, not when headlights cost around $30 a piece...) I noticed the sidemarker lights on both sides were out when I went in for an engine mount (Under warranty). I told the to fix those while they were at it and they told me those were just reflectors. I grabbed a brochure with the same car on the cover and showed them that those "Reflectors" were actually lights. They said it was a prototype vehicle and those "Lights" weren't really put into production. It wasnt until I saw them on another car all lit up that they agreed to replace them and look into why the car burned through headlights. Turned out to be a faulty fuse box in the dash panel. Somehow the voltage regulator wasn't working right and it kept blowing the lights... They were ready to sit there and lie to me rather than fix a silly little bug... I have no doubt that Subaru would do the same thing over a simple bug like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamarocket630 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Its intentional to the design. When you shut the car off, it will store that last known temperature unless you let the car sit for a certain period of time (usually 4 hours) to prevent heat soak from the radiator causing a very high reading at startup. Once you have driven a distance and passed air over the sensor to cool it off to an accurate temperature, it will update the display. If it wasn't this way, when you started the car after it being shut off for a short time it would give you a very high temperature reading, especially in the summer. The one in my 1996 Dodge truck would actually read SC (short circuit) when i started it after a 30 minute heat soak in the summer. As it cooled down it would start reading again at 140f and eventually go down to an accurate reading after 1-2 miles of driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Fan Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 The really neat part of this is that every time it appears to be "Stuck" it fixes itself on the way to the dealership...over 2 Km Clever design!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow05gtRI Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 i thought the ext temp sensor was the little "circle" / "dome shaped circle" that sits in the passenger side corner of the windshield on the dashboard??? at least thats what I remember reading in the manual. and the interior temp sensor is by your right knee (tiny vent looking thing) i'll have to RTFM again on that when i get a chance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impulse Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 i thought the ext temp sensor was the little "circle" / "dome shaped circle" that sits in the passenger side corner of the windshield on the dashboard??? at least thats what I remember reading in the manual. and the interior temp sensor is by your right knee (tiny vent looking thing) i'll have to RTFM again on that when i get a chance... thats the sun load sensor - apparently the HVAC can compensate for hot sun by turning up the A/C to cool the car more in order to keep the same auto temp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS5689 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 thats the sun load sensor - apparently the HVAC can compensate for hot sun by turning up the A/C to cool the car more in order to keep the same auto temp I don't mean to sound like a dick, but why would it make any sense to have an exterior temp sensor on the interior of the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow05gtRI Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I don't mean to sound like a dick, but why would it make any sense to have an exterior temp sensor on the interior of the vehicle. it didn't to me. i just accepted it as using the sun to aid in exterior temp sensing. didnt care enough to look into it further. sun having an effect on that sensor does make sense, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I call BS on the 2 km your tech quoted. My garage stays a pretty constant 50 degrees F. On cold mornings, my outside temp sensor has updated to the outside temperature before I leave my development, less than 1/4 mile (although it takes several minutes, between turns, cul-de-sacs, and stop signs). So even if it hypothetically takes 2 km, that doesn't match the behavior in the real world. Nothing too crucial here...just a little FYI. Maybe everyone knew this bit I did not:confused: Over the last week and a bit, in Vancouver, we have had a huge range of weather....warm and sunny (I played golf) to blizzard like snow(I shoveled the driveway again) My outside air temp in the dash display stayed pegged on 1* Celsius....nothing made it change....I even heated the sensor, in the grill, with a hairdryer until it was very warm to the touch....still pegged on 1* I took it to my dealer today and found out that the sensor is actually wired to read off the ABS sensor and only updates the temp every 2 Km..approx. It reads the air temp in the grill opening but gets its "Refresh" info from the brakes.:rolleyes:If you drive your car less than 2 Km the display just stays at it's last value......seems that during the week of wacky weather, all I did was very short trips and the display just stayed at 1* from the last time I drove over 2 Km......The tech said that it "Should" read the ambient temperature every time you start your car, but it does not always do that....sometimes just stays on its last reading. Sorry...no earth shaking news... just another Subaru quirk:spin: At least the visit was covered on warranty because I had complained of this before but never got around to taking it in. Off warranty 10 days ago. +1 for Specialty Subaru Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I call BS on the 2 km your tech quoted. My garage stays a pretty constant 50 degrees F. On cold mornings, my outside temp sensor has updated to the outside temperature before I leave my development, less than 1/4 mile (although it takes several minutes, between turns, cul-de-sacs, and stop signs). So even if it hypothetically takes 2 km, that doesn't match the behavior in the real world. That's because the spec.b measures the temp/time output for the info display off a single cesium atom, stored in the ECU. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 That's because the spec.b measures the temp/time output for the info display off a single cesium atom, stored in the ECU. Nah, the Flux Capacitor knows the temperature for the specific universal X, Y, Z coordinates of the location of the vehicle for all possible times. Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I stand corrected. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Fan Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 I call BS on the 2 km your tech quoted. My garage stays a pretty constant 50 degrees F. On cold mornings, my outside temp sensor has updated to the outside temperature before I leave my development, less than 1/4 mile (although it takes several minutes, between turns, cul-de-sacs, and stop signs). So even if it hypothetically takes 2 km, that doesn't match the behavior in the real world. I guess that is why the tech says...approximately 2 Km......maybe your US model is different....I went out today and drove around to see how it works on my car...yup...the first "Update" is about 2.4 Km from my house....works for me:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impulse Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I don't mean to sound like a dick, but why would it make any sense to have an exterior temp sensor on the interior of the vehicle. haha, no,it doesnt make sense, and thats why its NOT on the inside. the exterior temp sensor is in the bumper on the front of the car. the black dot is for the INTERIOR HVAC (air conditioning/heat) system. it works by heating up when sunlight hits it through the front windshield. the HVAC system then measures the amount of "load" on it from the sun and compensates by turning up the A/C or by turning down the heat as necessary. It does this to try to keep you feeling as close to the set temperature as possible. there are also other temperature sensors in the cabin that are tied to the HVAC system. i believe all this is in the manual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 UPDATE on Post 22. (Was the battery) Ok, since this is the closest thread I can find to this ... EVERY time I start my car for the last few days, the outside temp reads at 68 degrees, regardless that it's 90+ outside, and even after driving, the gauge only got up to 70 degrees. Failed sensor? That's my guess right now, but wondering if anyone has other grand ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FJuan Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Possible failed sensor. Does the sensor look dirty, maybe giving it a cleaning might help? My wife's balls are delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 I'd take a quick look at the wiring before you replace the sensor. Somehow my wiring got messed up and my temperature display would only show two horizontal lines. Not sure if a wiring issue could cause what you're experiencing, but it's quick and easy to check. The sensors are cheap too, so it wouldn't hurt to try replacing that if your wires look fine. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/maine-4th-gen-legacy-outside-air-temperature-sensor-connector-wires-253186.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Doesn't look any more dirty than usual. I couldn't find anything wrong upon visual inspection. I feel like the battery might need to be replaced as the seatbelt chime seems to come back every time I disable it, and particularly after sitting for a week at the airport. The battery is 4 years old, so maybe a little iffy. That might explain why the sensor is weird when I start the car, and sometimes returns to normal after a while. The last couple days have seemingly been very off though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Thanks for the link and the part number! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 After work, I was able to disconnect the sensor, confirm an Error code on the dash, reconnect the sensor, and seemingly everything is fine again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Great to hear, must have been some corrosion on the terminals. Love free fix's. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 UPDATE: If anyone else sees this, it may help. It turned out to be my battery. I got back from a week away today and the car barely started. The outside temp was showing 64. I knew it was well over 90. Pulled the sensor again, reinstalled it, Temp showed 96. Restarted the car - went back to 64 and stayed there. Got the battery checked since it was having a hard time starting, said it was bad, replaced the battery and wouldn't you know the temp sensor started working again. Another clue the battery was going bad for a while was the seat belt chime kept coming back all the time after disabling it. I should also note that this happened today after the car sat for a week, and when the issue last came up, the car had sat for a week while I was in New York for work. My guess is some of the longer drives were helping mask the issue for a few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Weird. Good to know though, further proof that when your alternator or battery is going bad, all sorts of weird/crazy things can happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Agreed. My (likely badly flawed) theory is that the temp gauge operates off resistance in the sensor, and the low power in the battery was preventing it from sending the correct signal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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