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#1
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E30 325i Outside temp
My 1990 325 has a factory outside temperature display/date/digital clock in
place of the analogue clock or OBC. It has always been highly reliable and accurate since I bought the car 17 years ago but recently it is showing approx 10C below the actual temp. Anyone know where the sensor is and if they are prone to any faults of this kind? |
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#2
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E30 325i Outside temp
> My 1990 325 has a factory outside temperature display/date/digital clock in
> place of the analogue clock or OBC. It has always been highly reliable and > accurate since I bought the car 17 years ago but recently it is showing > approx 10C below the actual temp. Anyone know where the sensor is and if > they are prone to any faults of this kind? It's in the front brake duct, behind the spoiler. When they fail you normally just get a constant very low reading, such as -37C. -- Who needs a life when you've got Unix? :-) Email: , John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage! Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html www.Strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible price |
#3
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E30 325i Outside temp
On May 31, 5:17 pm, John Burns > wrote:
> > My 1990 325 has a factory outside temperature display/date/digital clock in > > place of the analogue clock or OBC. It has always been highly reliable and > > accurate since I bought the car 17 years ago but recently it is showing > > approx 10C below the actual temp. Anyone know where the sensor is and if > > they are prone to any faults of this kind? > > It's in the front brake duct, behind the spoiler. When they fail you > normally just get a constant very low reading, such as -37C. Burns is right - and it is not uncommon for the sensor to fail. Used ones go for $10-$20 on ebay. -- C.R. Krieger (Been there; done that) |
#4
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E30 325i Outside temp
"John Burns" > wrote in message ... >> My 1990 325 has a factory outside temperature display/date/digital clock >> in >> place of the analogue clock or OBC. It has always been highly reliable >> and >> accurate since I bought the car 17 years ago but recently it is showing >> approx 10C below the actual temp. Anyone know where the sensor is and if >> they are prone to any faults of this kind? > > It's in the front brake duct, behind the spoiler. When they fail you > normally just get a constant very low reading, such as -37C. In that case it has not failed - simply reads low. Thanks for the info about the location - I'll check its condition. David |
#5
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E30 325i Outside temp
"David Haggas" > wrote in message ... > > "John Burns" > wrote in message > ... >>> My 1990 325 has a factory outside temperature display/date/digital clock >>> in >>> place of the analogue clock or OBC. It has always been highly reliable >>> and >>> accurate since I bought the car 17 years ago but recently it is showing >>> approx 10C below the actual temp. Anyone know where the sensor is and if >>> they are prone to any faults of this kind? >> >> It's in the front brake duct, behind the spoiler. When they fail you >> normally just get a constant very low reading, such as -37C. > > In that case it has not failed - simply reads low. Thanks for the info > about the location - I'll check its condition. > > David It's either a thermistor or a thermocouple (the former is my guess), and these devices can fail in such a fashion that the resistance they attain at a certain temp is incorrect. The circuits they are in are prone to reacting to corroded connections too. As a general rule, the resistance they have is higher at cold temperatures, so corrosion on the contacts can lead to lower readings on the display. A thermocouple and a thermistor behave similarly, although they achieve results in a different manner. I do not think it is important which device is used in your car. I think your problem is either a poor connection due to the location of the connector, or the device itself is failing. As was pointed out earlier, they generally are a go-no-go kind of device, so paly with the connector for a few minutes, and replace the device next week if it still does not read correctly. |
#6
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E30 325i Outside temp
"Jeff Strickland" > wrote in message news:4Bg8i.318$fX4.235@trndny03... > > It's either a thermistor or a thermocouple (the former is my guess), and > these devices can fail in such a fashion that the resistance they attain > at a certain temp is incorrect. The circuits they are in are prone to > reacting to corroded connections too. As a general rule, the resistance > they have is higher at cold temperatures, so corrosion on the contacts can > lead to lower readings on the display. > > A thermocouple and a thermistor behave similarly, although they achieve > results in a different manner. I do not think it is important which device > is used in your car. I think your problem is either a poor connection due > to the location of the connector, or the device itself is failing. As was > pointed out earlier, they generally are a go-no-go kind of device, so paly > with the connector for a few minutes, and replace the device next week if > it still does not read correctly. Thankyou for that Jeff. Todays temperature was around 23 and the reading was 8.5 which points to the above. Investigations pending. |
#7
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E30 325i Outside temp
"John Burns" > wrote in message ... >> My 1990 325 has a factory outside temperature display/date/digital clock >> in >> place of the analogue clock or OBC. It has always been highly reliable >> and >> accurate since I bought the car 17 years ago but recently it is showing >> approx 10C below the actual temp. Anyone know where the sensor is and if >> they are prone to any faults of this kind? > > It's in the front brake duct, behind the spoiler. When they fail you > normally just get a constant very low reading, such as -37C. > > -- > Who needs a life when you've got Unix? :-) > Email: , John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland > Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage! > Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html > www.Strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible price On the older ones it was a constant high of 84F / 29 or 30C. |
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