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Inaccurate Outside Air Temperature reading

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by cubbyg, Oct 25, 2017.

  1. cubbyg

    cubbyg Junior Member

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    I have been experiencing very slow and inaccurate OAT readings. Yesterday the dash reading was 90 when the OAT is 104. I replaced the thermistor assy. pn 88790-2213 located in front of the radiator below the hood release. After replacement similar operation persists. Is there an internal processor reset or calibration that can be done to correct this issue? Thanks
     
  2. Dxta

    Dxta Senior Member

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    Are you sure there isn't dirt blocking the sensor? You could also check if it's getting a dedicated voltage
     
  3. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    You can calibrate it a bit with Techstream (Mini-VCI) but not enough. There is probably something broken.

    Temperature display is slowed down a bit on purpose so that it would not fluctuate so that’s normal.

    Sensor is NTC so bad connection somewhere would cause the too low of a temperature.

    One way to test if the problems is in the sensor or in the car is to short circuit the temp sensor. By connecting the wires that go to the sensor to each other. Outside temperature should display 60c or 139F. If it does then the sensor must be bad. If it doesn’t you can check what the voltage is at control unit. If the voltage isn’t correct there then you need to check the wiring.
     
  4. 05PreeUs

    05PreeUs Senior Member

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    All modern vehicle sensors operate on ultra-low amperage and typically only 5 volts. This means that any damage to the connectors (scratches, spread terminals, etc) can cause voltage drop in the circuit; there just isn't enough electrical power to get the signal correct under adverse conditions. Corrosion is one of the most common problems and generally requires the "pig-tail" to be replaced that connects the harness to the sensor.

    Unplugging a temperature sensor, checking the temp then shorting the two sensor wires together is s good test. If you get the expected values, it might be that they sold you the wrong sensor.