external temp sensor

[teknow]

£77 for a complete mirror and temp sensor from www.wingmirrorman.co.uk

Looks like the original part too ... bloody marvellous!

Easy to fit. Instructions on this site somewhere about how to remove the door card. 3 screws, reconnect the temp sensor plug and clip the "joystick" in place and bingo!

 

[Banksy 1]

had the heaters suppose to blow hot air on 28'c i thought with it being climate control they just blew very slight warm air until the temperature is reached. mine blow hot when set high but just slightly warm on 28'c almost cold air. is this right or not?

 

[teknow]

yeah that's right.

I've owned my 1.4S/.cool from new

In the current weather anyhow ... I'm not sure what happens if it is REALLY cold outside ... I'll tell you in February!

Most people diss the climate control system but mine has always been superb ... one of the best features of the car I'd say. The external temp sensor definately makes a difference - I know coz mine broke too.

It seems to use the external sensor to determine how hard the fan needs to blow to cool the interior. When the external sensor is bust, it just guesses or defaults to a mid range (usually 3 I found!) blower setting.

that is why when it is 30c outside and you set it to LO or 18c it blows yer head off.

Just recharged the gas in mine too and it gets so cold in there that my ears and nose actually go numb! rofl

She might be old and decrepid now but I'm freezin' every morning on the M42!

 

[Scimitar]

Can anyone give more detail on which way you full the plastic off?

 

[Razor]

you dont exactly pull it off
someone previously posted u need an allen key

im sure i will be asking the same question tomorrow lol

 

[RUM4MO]

you dont exactly pull it off
someone previously posted u need an allen key

im sure i will be asking the same question tomorrow lol

I'm not convinced that you really need to remove the very small screw(s) - they seem to seize in the aluminium frame (steel screw into aluminium frame - not a good idea!). Is there not a hole where you stick in a screwdriver to ease a sprung clip back? These covers can be difficult to remove due to corrosion of the aluminium frames.

 

[Atlantia]

Does anyone actually know how the temp sensor works and so why it fails?

 

[Razor]

I assume its just an outside thermometer of some sort that then passes on the info to the ecu . It fails as it is exposed to the WORLD lol

IVE NO IDEA WHAT I JUST POSTED

 

[RUM4MO]

Does anyone actually know how the temp sensor works and so why it fails?

It will just be made of a material that has known temperature V resistance characteristics - if it is this sort of thing then a known voltage is sent through it and the measured current is scaled to read temperature - or maybe its fed from a constant current source and the measured voltage is scaled to represent temperature - there are a large range of these sensors available from PRTs that increase in temperature to thermisters that can increase or decrease with temperature - alternatively there are T-Cs that are thermo-couples - ie two different materials that generate very small electric signals which change with temerature. I'd think that it will be the former type and what fails with them is usually the final bond between the extension wiring and the sensor - which is inside the small plastic "nipple" that sticks out below the mirror housing - so when its u/s that is the end and you can't do much to avoid it failing.

 

[Razor]

so is there any decent guidance notes on how to do this ?
i had a look at the mirror earlier
casing seems to be VERY stiff !!
dont want to break it obviously

 

[Atlantia]

so is there any decent guidance notes on how to do this ?
i had a look at the mirror earlier
casing seems to be VERY stiff !!
dont want to break it obviously

LOL, come on Razor, you always have to do this stuff first and trouble shoot it for the rest of us!

RUM4MO.
Thanks, in other words the failure isn't due to something fixable like a metal contact oxidising or similar.
Replacement is the only option.

 

[Razor]

LoL
Its the way forward mate
Na jokes..

Im in work now, will have a look when im home

 

[RUM4MO]

LOL, come on Razor, you always have to do this stuff first and trouble shoot it for the rest of us!

RUM4MO.
Thanks, in other words the failure isn't due to something fixable like a metal contact oxidising or similar.
Replacement is the only option.

Sorry, no chance normally, its just a case of getting the plastic cover off, buy a new probe assembly and fit it in its entirity (by removing the door card) or do it the way the dealers do it and cut the old probe off and splice in the final part of the new probe - but the dealers tend to have access to very small jointing crimps - you could always solder this joint and cover and seal with heatshrink tubing - even better with some that had been filled with heat activated sealer.

 

[RUM4MO]

so is there any decent guidance notes on how to do this ?
i had a look at the mirror earlier
casing seems to be VERY stiff !!
dont want to break it obviously

To be perfectly honest, I'd leave this job until the weather is warmer - ie Summer, as the plastic will be more forgiving then and you will fell a bit more like spending some time trying to spray some WD-40 in to help things. The aluminium frame really does mess things up and the accumulation of its salts just jams the cover on. The local dealer sorted out my daughter's one quite quickly, I had previously sheared off the small screw that retains the lower strip (bought a new screw afterwards and drilled out and retapped the hole). All it takes is the knowledge exactly where to grab it and lift it up - but you don't want to gain this knowledge by cracking the plastic!

 

[gregorcupra]

Im trying to find this sensor on ebay , with no joy at all!

Anyone know where I can find one online ?

 

[beport]

Hiya. I just changed my outside temp on my Mk3 last week. I opened up the bottom of the passenger side mirror housing with an allen key and I see that the previous owner had just hacked the wires and joined the cables to the temp sender and done them up with insulation tape - a right ol' bodge up but an easier way than taking off all the door mirror and passenger side door trim.

I got the temp sensor off ebay for 12 quid (it weren't second hand someone just bought it and never ended up fitting it) and I decided to fit it properly so i did take the route of removing the mirror and the door trim an then plugged it into a connector near the lower large speaker in the passenger door. A longer job but a much neater job and worth it I would say.

Andy.

Hi Andy,

I got a quote from my local dealer of 1.5 hours labour for doing this job. Does that sound right?

 

[beport]

It will just be made of a material that has known temperature V resistance characteristics - if it is this sort of thing then a known voltage is sent through it and the measured current is scaled to read temperature - or maybe its fed from a constant current source and the measured voltage is scaled to represent temperature - there are a large range of these sensors available from PRTs that increase in temperature to thermisters that can increase or decrease with temperature - alternatively there are T-Cs that are thermo-couples - ie two different materials that generate very small electric signals which change with temerature. I'd think that it will be the former type and what fails with them is usually the final bond between the extension wiring and the sensor - which is inside the small plastic "nipple" that sticks out below the mirror housing - so when its u/s that is the end and you can't do much to avoid it failing.

Thanks for the info. What does "u/s" mean please?

 

[gratch]

Thanks for the info. What does "u/s" mean please?

It means unservicable or unsatisfactory.