Outside temperature sensor slow to move

[EdmondLeaf]

Now outside temp is 95F, I drove car for 0.5 mile and is still 72F, then another 0.5 mile and is 73F. It happened in the past but after about 3 -4 miles temp was not that optimistic and equalized with real OK temp. Wonder if my car have a problem, my previous experience show that temp was always correct in other cars the minute I started the car

 

[DesertDenizen]

My car does exactly the same thing. It takes several miles before an accurate reading will reveal itself.

 

[thankyouOB]

the temp gauge is pretty much useless to see extemporaneous changes in temperature.
it has to sit for quite a while. It is like taking a kid's temperature, but longer, way longer.
you would think it would be digital and instantaneous.

UPDATE:
In my volvos, the temperature was very sensitive and you could see the temps drop, block by block, as you drove down the hill to the Pacific.

 

[EdmondLeaf]

So it is normal. Previously when I talk to dealer, he told me they going to change temp sensor, and will be working great - how little he know. Problem solved I hope my first dealer visit will be 1 year battery, never bothered with firmware/software update - if not broken do not fix it. Thank you all

 

[dandrewk]

This is my third automobile with this feature, along with two different motorcycles. All have behaved the same way. As far as I can tell, it's a moving average... when the car is moving. Otherwise the thermometer would pick up the heat coming off the motor/engine/battery pack.

I can imagine if it wasn't an average, drivers would freak out reading the outside temp. on a hot, sunny day while stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway.

 

[TomT]

Remember that the temperature sensor does not update unless you are moving faster than - I think - 15 mph for a period of time...

Now outside temp is 95F, I drove car for 0.5 mile and is still 72F, then another 0.5 mile and is 73F. It happened in the past but after about 3 -4 miles temp was not that optimistic and equalized with real OK temp. Wonder if my car have a problem, my previous experience show that temp was always correct in other cars the minute I started the car

 

[turbo2ltr]

I did a lot of experimentation with the temp sensor as I was hoping to "repurpose" the display to show SOC.

The temp gauge will go down almost immediately if the OAT drops. But as other stated, it will not go up for at least 5 minutes after you start driving. Even restarting the car will not reset it. It holds the last temp, unless it reads colder than it did when it turned off. But the faster you go the faster it will update.

 

[garygid]

A GuessSpeedTempometer?
A cross between very slow and useless, IMO.

 

[thankyouOB]

OAT?

 

[RegGuheert]

OAT?

Outside Air Temperature

 

[thankyouOB]

I did a lot of experimentation with the temp sensor as I was hoping to "repurpose" the display to show SOC.

The temp gauge will go down almost immediately if the OAT drops. But as other stated, it will not go up for at least 5 minutes after you start driving. Even restarting the car will not reset it. It holds the last temp, unless it reads colder than it did when it turned off. But the faster you go the faster it will update.

i dont see that at all.
I drive home into a beach town and the temps often drop dramatically block by block as you approach the water and go down a hill.
In the volvos, you could track it easily. I once -- on one of those 100 degree september days -- saw it drop 25 degrees over two miles. I like to hold my arm out the window and feel it while I watch the temp fall in the car.

with the Leaf, the temp doesnt change in any watchable fashion. I often drive all the way into my drive and just see it drop one or two degrees, when I can feel it has gone down 10+ and more.

 

[TickTock]

Another related observation is it reports unusually low values for 5-10 minutes after leaving the carwash. I guess it gets wet and experiences evaporative cooling for a while.

 

[TomT]

Yeah, all of my vehicles have done that...

Another related observation is it reports unusually low values for 5-10 minutes after leaving the carwash. I guess it gets wet and experiences evaporative cooling for a while.

 

[Rat]

Mine virtually never updates. My garage is pretty much always cool, so the gauge almost always reads 59 - 63, even when it's 85 outside and I've been driving for many minutes at freeway speeds. I don't understand why this is so bad on the Leaf. OAT thermometers are old technology and every other car I've had is very accurate very quickly. The software update at 6 mos. didn't fix it, so I assume it's a hardware problem.

 

[FredDemara]

can someone tell me where the outside temp sensor is located? thanks!

 

[GIBBER]

14 of my 24 years in the industry was spent with Nissan/Infiniti. The spec all that time called for driving at a steady speed above 30 mph and the ambient reading would need approx. one minute for each one degree needed to equalize. The sensors have always been located behind the front bumper cover ahead of or to the side of the heat exchangers.

Now outside temp is 95F, I drove car for 0.5 mile and is still 72F, then another 0.5 mile and is 73F. It happened in the past but after about 3 -4 miles temp was not that optimistic and equalized with real OK temp. Wonder if my car have a problem, my previous experience show that temp was always correct in other cars the minute I started the car

 

[Rat]

can someone tell me where the outside temp sensor is located? thanks!

No - post a picture. Maybe there is a piece of tape or something over the intake port.

 

[GIBBER]

It's mounted directly below the horn on the center support.

can someone tell me where the outside temp sensor is located? thanks!

No - post a picture. Maybe there is a piece of tape or something over the intake port.

 

[Rat]

It's mounted directly below the horn on the center support.

can someone tell me where the outside temp sensor is located? thanks!

No - post a picture. Maybe there is a piece of tape or something over the intake port.

I'm afraid this isn't good enough for my limited brain since I have no idea where the horn or center support are. Is this an area accessible from the top? The bottom is all sealed off.

 

[FredDemara]

THANK YOU, GIBBER!!!!!

It's mounted directly below the horn on the center support.

can someone tell me where the outside temp sensor is located? thanks!

No - post a picture. Maybe there is a piece of tape or something over the intake port.