Temperature gauge misreading?

Agent_Smith

Agent_Smith

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Is it possible for a temperature gauge on a car to be out? It's freaking hot in Cape Town today but I was astounded when my car's temp gauge displayed the temp as a scarcely believable 48.5 degrees. And it's not like I was driving through the Karoo. Just down Koeberg Road through Milnerton.

What outside influences affect a car's temperature readout, like the location of the sensor, heat radiated off the road, emitted engine heat, the car standing still for too long? Can a gauge be recalibrated?
 
The car's temperature guage is hardly ever incorrect. Is the problem that it runs too cool?
 
This coolant temperature or outside temperature ?
If outside temperature maybe it baked in sun . Did it cool down after a few kilometres?
 
Rickster said:
Ambient air temp, not water temp.
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LOL, oh ok.

Yes, mine does that as well, this morning it was -2, for example. It affects my climate control, so I have to manually set the aircon temperature and speed. It only happens once in a while, and I know what is wrong. The sensor in my right mirror needs to be replaced. But things like this that doesn't happen often and don't affect me too much tends to take a long time to get fixed :o
 
Mine read 41 degrees at 11am this morning driving to Century City. So not too far off. It normally feels quite accurate.
 
thehuman said:
This coolant temperature or outside temperature ?
If outside temperature maybe it baked in sun . Did it cool down after a few kilometres?
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Outside temp. No, if anything it went up. I was driving down Otto du Plessis drive (near the beachfront) and the ambient temperature readout was 37,5. Got onto Koeberg Road and the temp shot up 10 degrees.
 
question for you guys;

on my car with more sensors than a merc, I also get via torque app a sensor that shows CATA1 temp,
what is this usually? as even on a normal day it sits on 456 degrees....
 
eg2505 said:
question for you guys;

on my car with more sensors than a merc, I also get via torque app a sensor that shows CATA1 temp,
what is this usually? as even on a normal day it sits on 456 degrees....
Click to expand...

Catalytic converter?

Basically thats the temperature of the exhaust.
 
eg2505 said:
so its supposed to be hot? extremely hot....

then that's normal then?
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Catalytic converters need rather extreme heat for the gas scrubbing chemical reaction to take place.
 
Colin62 said:
Nah, but I did get burnt by a hot redhead once.
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Lol, I would rather call it educated :whistle:

On topic, I don't know where the Polo sensor is located, but I've seen some sensors in the door side mirror and other inside the bumper shielded in the wheel well.
The sensor in the bumper is prone to heat build-up in heavy traffic and hot exhaust gasses from the car in front.

It was rather hot in the Western Cape today, just after 17h00 my car also read around 40 degrees in Franschhoek
 
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