OMG, WTF are these wires!?!? - Ambient Air Temperature Sensor

[jesseicp]

For awhile now, my ambient air temperature sensor hasn't worked. When I repainted my car, I realized that the wiring was bare in several places and prepped them for replacement. I couldn't get the connectors at the time and I finally ordered them so it's time for the install. The only problem is, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT GOES WHERE!

One of the sets of wires in the picture below had the air sensor connected to it, the other had nothing. I figured that the sensor must have fallen off the one with nothing attached, but now I'm not so sure. Some mild digging makes it look like it goes to a windshield washer solvent heater that my car was not fitted with. Is this true?



Originally, I thought that the following two parts were different and that they both belonged to these wires. Now I'm thinking that the "outside air temperature sensor" and "ambient air temperature sensor" are the same thing. The round sensor was the original from my car, the pointed one was ordered for replacement. Are they the same thing?

[mcbeee]

Yes and no. The round one obviously clips into something a lot bigger than the shiny new one that is completely different. Did someone get the part number wrong ? Throttle the partsman...... Sorry, personal experience coming out ...
And ambient air sensor means exactly the same as outside air temp.

[mcbeee]

I checked Pelican Parts online and the round one is this:

Temperature Sensor for Heated Windshield Washer Nozzles, (Thermo Switch)
Part #: 61-31-8-370-747-BOE

The pointy one is this :
Temperature Sensor - Outdoor Temperature
Part #: 65-81-6-936-953-M400 (or similar, there are lots like it)

I don't buy from Pelican Parts , they are in the USA and shipping and duties are outrageous but they are good resource for finding part numbers etc...

[patriot66]

Enter your car details into www.realoem.com for any part number you are looking for.

[mcbeee]

Enter your car details into www.realoem.com for any part number you are looking for.

Ditto... I use it all the time, I use Pelican if i need US pricing.

[jesseicp]

So, after a bit more looking into it, I figured out what everything goes to. I do use realoem.com for things like this, but one of my issues was that I couldn't figure out what went to which color group of wires.

I was able to use realoem to realize that the round sensor IS for a heated windshield washer solvent element and this car actually IS fitted with this feature. For anyone reading in the future, the round sensor in the pictures above goes to the green wiring.

The blue wiring goes to the ambient air temperature sensor, as shown in the pic below:


In case anyone needs to know the location of the sensor, below is a diagram:


I had some issues once I connected my ambient air temp sensor to the blue wiring. I couldn't figure out why it still wasn't showing the temperature on the dash. Finally, I looked down into the sensor and one of the pins had pushed down into the sensor rather than going in the holes on the connector. I used needle nose pliers and got the pin to seat where it's supposed to be, then it worked like a charm.

If you have issues, I also read that sometimes people have needed to disconnect the battery for up to an hour and reconnect before the software would reset and realize the sensor had been reconnected. Not sure if there is truth to this in this particular vehicle or not, but I thought I'd post that for posterity, as well, since I came across that information while looking into this too.

Anyone looking for connectors for these should look toward eBay. They can be had for $10-$15 shipped. You can order the ambient air temp connector with the "key" in the right location for the sensor, but I couldn't find one with the key off to the side, as the sensor for the heated windshield washer sensor needs. For this, you can find one with no key, just a flat bottom, if you search through the ambient air connectors.

Thanks for your suggestions and info here in this thread!