Ambient air Thermometer

Ambient air Thermometer

Author
Discussion

Fastpedeller

Original Poster:

3,975 posts

153 months

Friday 29th March 2013
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Just a silly thing, but it's bugging me!!! Where is the thermometer generally positioned in modern cars - you know, the one that shows the ambient air temperature and displays it to the instrument panel?
I guess it must be nowhere near the engine bay or exhaust, also away from any air currents - so where is it?scratchchin

G600

1,479 posts

194 months

Friday 29th March 2013
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My last car it was fixed to the back of the front bumper, on BMW MINIs it's on the bottom of the wing mirror.

DocArbathnot

27,528 posts

190 months

Friday 29th March 2013
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Fastpedeller said:
Just a silly thing, but it's bugging me!!! Where is the thermometer generally positioned in modern cars - you know, the one that shows the ambient air temperature and displays it to the instrument panel?
I guess it must be nowhere near the engine bay or exhaust, also away from any air currents - so where is it?scratchchin
Why does it have to be away from air currents?

Locknut

653 posts

144 months

Friday 29th March 2013
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DocArbathnot said:
Why does it have to be away from air currents?
Probably to prevent wind-chill effect, just try putting your hand out the window of a moving car (even on a hot day) to see what I mean.

In my Nissan it's on front of the radiator near the bonnet catch. In this position it picks up heat from the radiator when the car is parked hot, and it has to be driven about two miles before it reads properly again.

In my BMW it's in a cavity ahead of the wheel-arch liner and behind the foglight and is protected by foam rubber (probably to prevent the heat-soak mentioned above).

In Renaults it's usually in the passenger-side wing mirror and the little sensor bulb can be seen on the bottom of the mirror, which seems to contradict the wind-chill explanation above.

jeebus

445 posts

191 months

Saturday 30th March 2013
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Locknut said:
Probably to prevent wind-chill effect, just try putting your hand out the window of a moving car (even on a hot day) to see what I mean.

In my Nissan it's on front of the radiator near the bonnet catch. In this position it picks up heat from the radiator when the car is parked hot, and it has to be driven about two miles before it reads properly again.

In my BMW it's in a cavity ahead of the wheel-arch liner and behind the foglight and is protected by foam rubber (probably to prevent the heat-soak mentioned above).

In Renaults it's usually in the passenger-side wing mirror and the little sensor bulb can be seen on the bottom of the mirror, which seems to contradict the wind-chill explanation above.
Im pretty sure thermometers are not affected by windchill.

DocArbathnot

27,528 posts

190 months

Saturday 30th March 2013
quotequote all
jeebus said:
Locknut said:
Probably to prevent wind-chill effect, just try putting your hand out the window of a moving car (even on a hot day) to see what I mean.

In my Nissan it's on front of the radiator near the bonnet catch. In this position it picks up heat from the radiator when the car is parked hot, and it has to be driven about two miles before it reads properly again.

In my BMW it's in a cavity ahead of the wheel-arch liner and behind the foglight and is protected by foam rubber (probably to prevent the heat-soak mentioned above).

In Renaults it's usually in the passenger-side wing mirror and the little sensor bulb can be seen on the bottom of the mirror, which seems to contradict the wind-chill explanation above.
Im pretty sure thermometers are not affected by windchill.
This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wind chill does not effect temp just how quickly an object loses heat untill it reachs the ambient temp.

MarshalRay

23 posts

149 months

Tuesday 2nd April 2013
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On the Mk4 Golf, I think it is behind the passenger side "brake duct grill"

voicey

2,457 posts

194 months

Tuesday 2nd April 2013
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On all of the cars that I have owned with this "feature" the probe has been on the underside of the passenger wing mirror.

Locknut

653 posts

144 months

Tuesday 2nd April 2013
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DocArbathnot said:
This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Wind chill does not effect temp just how quickly an object loses heat untill it reachs the ambient temp.
Interesting, I'll have to think about that and maybe do a little research.