Outside temp sensor accuracy

[Zprime29]

My outside temp reading seems to be consistently 3+ degrees (F) higher than actual. This is after I've been driving for a while. I fully expect it to be high after sitting in a hot parking lot all day. But after 15 min on the road it still shows higher. Pardon my laziness for not checking the manual, wanted to ask while I was thinking about it and don't have access at the moment. Is there a way to calibrate the sensor? Does anyone else have similar accuracy?

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[Whammy Bar]

Only 3? You must have gotten a well calibrated one.

 

[Zprime29]

3 is the closest I've seen it get
Yesterday was showing 109 while Mr. Google and the school sign that I drive by both reported 104. I hadn't paid attention during the cooler months to see if it was low/high.

 

[Gewalt]

Mine seems to smooth the data too much. When temperature suddenly drops driving into a canyon in the early hours in the morning, the truck doesn't adjust the temperature display for a while

 

[IdeaOfTheDayCom]

My outside temp reading seems to be consistently 3+ degrees (F) higher than actual. This is after I've been driving for a while. I fully expect it to be high after sitting in a hot parking lot all day. But after 15 min on the road it still shows higher. Pardon my laziness for not checking the manual, wanted to ask while I was thinking about it and don't have access at the moment. Is there a way to calibrate the sensor? Does anyone else have similar accuracy?

I tend to trust the number because I have no other number to truly compare it with.

When you look at your local weather on your phone or the local news, that's basically taken from a handful of local weather stations, which can be just about anywhere. In NYC, they tend to report the temperatures from Central Park for example.

Temperatures 5 miles away will be a bit higher or lower based on elevation, shade and wind variations. Hiking under the shade of trees in the woods is always cooler than in an open area, for example.

 

[Zprime29]

I've got a home weather station mounted above the kids' playset in the middle of our yard. It reported 104 when I got home, truck showed 112 driving through the city and 108 when I got to my house. It's consistently 3+ at least when the temps are high. Doesn't seem like much but it's annoying. Kinda like the clock in my wife's car always being 3-4 min fast. Why????

 

[jason95r]

This probably won't be super helpful because I don't know the process on the Lightning. But my 2017 Chevy Tahoe used to have a problem with the sensor now and then and there was a sequence of buttons to press to recalibrate it. I'm wondering if the Lightning has something similar. I found the Tahoe instructions via a google search. Might be something similar out there for ICE vehicles that's worth a try. I'd look for you but running out of the office for a meeting. Let us know what you come up with.

 

[Nate880]

I think the thermostats are pretty accurate. Remember that the temps you get from Google are taken from weather stations placed 4-6 ft above the ground, over grass, in an open area for air flow, and in the shade. When parked on asphalt in the sun it will be a lot hotter.

 

[bmwhitetx]

I think the thermostats are pretty accurate. Remember that the temps you get from Google are taken from weather stations placed 4-6 ft above the ground, over grass, in an open area for air flow, and in the shade. When parked on asphalt in the sun it will be a lot hotter.

This. Plus it’s not only hotter parked on asphalt but driving on asphalt. Especially behind all those ICE cars producing heat.

 

[MickeyAO]

Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) typically have a thermistor imbedded in the sign, and they may use this to display the temperature on the sign. Now look at where the sign is situated (up 10'-20') and know there could be a difference in the surface temperature.

My first job at the Institute was in designing/maintaining the software for DMS.

 

[Zprime29]

I was starting to believe that I was over thinking it when I drove the Honda Pilot over the weekend as we are short a car seat and didn't want to swap it between cars. The Pilot consistently showed a more accurate air temp (compared to weather station at my house, building signs, and internet sources). I'm not buying the excuse that the other temps are lower cuz they're off the ground when two cars that are roughly equal height have completely different readings. It's a small annoyance, but still irks me. Friday truck said 112 when I got home, weather station at house was reporting 108. Because I have nothing else to complain about with the truck, I'm going to start logging the diffs.

 

[Jimbalf]

My 2010 F150 was always spot on no matter the outside temperatur, but I agree, my Lightning is always high and seems to get worse in the hot Texas heat

 

[Zprime29]

My 2010 F150 was always spot on no matter the outside temperatur, but I agree, my Lightning is always high and seems to get worse in the hot Texas heat

I almost wonder now if the thermistor is near the A/C compressor. I'll start noting if I ran climate control when I log my temp diff. Will be a while before we cool off enough, 85F at 5:30am today. I like to roll with the windows open in the morning but that ain't a cool breeze anymore.

 

[GoodSam]

My outdoor temperature sensor is reading 58F on a 90F day. I have been sitting w power on for hours at a campsite to power our refrigerator / freezer (Bodega) in the back seat area and running a small microwave at the tailgate ($45 Target Kenmore). Sometimes sitting in full sun. For cooling the cab, I now have to set the temperature to the low 60s to get adequate cooling, when kicking back out of the worst heat. I would assume a side view mirror would be a logical place for the sensor. I wonder if a Ford parts website would show location of the sensor? But what will be the most likely fix?
Ok, outside mirror Ambient Air Sensor https://ford.oempartsonline.com/oem-parts/ford-ambient-temp-sensor-hc3z12a647a?c=Zz1ib2R5JnM9b3V0c2lkZS1taXJyb3JzJmw9MiZuPVNlYXJjaCBSZXN1bHRzJmE9Zm9yZCZvPWYtMTUwLWxpZ2h0bmluZyZ5PTIwMjImdD14bHQmZT1lbGVjdHJpYw==
How much fuss to get to? Looks like connector would be inside mirror housing. If easy to pop off a cover, would be worth looking at the connection before getting dealer involved, wait time etc.
Maybe this:
https://www.f150forum.com/f118/rele...nt-air-temp-sensor-mirror-484694/#post6708346
"52merc , 09-15-2020 09:23 PM
Senior Member
From the WSM:
After replacing an Ambient Air Temperature (AAT) sensor, the sensor data must be reset by either driving the vehicle at speeds consistently about 20 MPH for at least 5 minutes to update the filtered data or perform the multiple button press reset procedure to update to the current raw value.
The multiple button reset for the Ambient Air Temperature (AAT) sensor is as follows:
On the HVAC panel controls, press the A/C and Recirc buttons simultaneously, then, release both.
Within 2 seconds press the A/C button again."
Tried the buttons, no luck. Will need to get back on the highway to get speed up for 5 minutes. Hope to update this tomorrow.

 

[Zprime29]

Yikes, that sounds like a different problem altogether. I was nitpicking but I think you have a legit issue on your hands. I hope driving it around fixes it. I thought the there was an inside temp sensor that should kick on the A/C regardless of outside indicated temp.

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