Ambient Temp sensor Experience

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B Crawford - 03 Mar 2007 01:03 GMT

Hi Group,
I was driving through a remote mountainous part of Wa. state yesterday
running perfectly when in the next second the service engine light came on &
the 2001 XG went into limp mode big time. I turned it around with difficulty
& went back a very short distance to an Indian Reservation office area
(where the people were very friendly -& seriously, I learned that I wasn't
driving a car but riding my 'war pony).
I tried revving the engine but any response was weak. I shut it off & since
there was no service available anywhere nearby, I lifted the battery
connection off momentarily to reset the computer. I started it up & it ran
fine. However as we got back into British Columbia, & the day got later &
colder, I went to engage the heater. Well damn if the AC didn't come on &
all I got was cold air when I wanted warm! I checked the ambient temp & it
showed it was 27C ( about high 80's F). It was really real close to
freezing. I drove home cold.
Next day I checked the HMA site, pulled the ambient temp sensor & put in a
80 Kohm resistor to match the just above freezing temp this morning. Sure
enough the display read 3C . Put the original sensor back & it showed 22C
(like a warm summer day) . Then after cursing Hyundai profusely as this is
my 4th electrical problem in as many months, I noticed this sensor says
.......can you believe it FORD!!.
Now for me that was good news b/c living as remotely as we do, I didn't
stand a snowball's chance in Hell of getting the replacement part any time
soon but since this thing was Ford , even my little local NAPA stocked it.
But what really sucked in all this was how totally disabled the car was
instantly with no warning. I suspect many others would have called a wrecker
& it really was all over a cheap part that apparently is prone to failure (&
hence stocked by the little NAPA in our town of 700.
My next car is going to be a pre 1990's something!
BCinBC

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James - 03 Mar 2007 04:03 GMT

> Hi Group,
> I was driving through a remote mountainous part of Wa. state yesterday
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> My next car is going to be a pre 1990's something!
> BCinBC

I just experienced the same problem in my '93 Ford after the sudden drop
in temp we had in Seattle recently. Your message gives me hope that I
will be able to find a replacement. BTW, my temp reader goes colder
than real.

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hyundaitech - 03 Mar 2007 20:35 GMT

You've got two separate problems. The ambient temperature sensor won't
affect the way the car runs. While you've done a great job of diagnosing
the HVAC issue, you still have no idea what was making your car enter
limp-home mode. At this point, you'll probably need to wait for the check
engine lamp to come on again.

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B Crawford - 05 Mar 2007 01:41 GMT

Thanks, I think, Hyundaitech.
I have stashed my code reader in the trunk, just in case. When it went into
limp mode it was instantaneous & the check engine light was on w/o flashing.
The car hardly ran & I was lucky to get it up to 20 Kph.
The only other circumstance is that my power transistor for the heater
blower has been removed while I wait for a replacement part. That way I can
shut the damn blower off & just run it on high when I need to.
I can't imagine that affecting the ambient sensor??
Thanks for your input.
BCinBC

> You've got two separate problems. The ambient temperature sensor won't
> affect the way the car runs. While you've done a great job of diagnosing
> the HVAC issue, you still have no idea what was making your car enter
> limp-home mode. At this point, you'll probably need to wait for the check
> engine lamp to come on again.

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hyundaitech - 05 Mar 2007 17:28 GMT

No, that won't affect the ambient temp sensor.

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