Outside Temp reading hardly responds
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 552
From: Scottsdale,AZ
Outside Temp reading hardly responds
In my 2010 Max I have a feeling something is up with the Outside Temp sensor.
At my condo I have a underground parking garage that stays right around 75-80 all year long but I've noticed lately now that we have triple digit temps that I could make a 15 minute trip somewhere and the temp reading says its only 85 degrees. anyone else ever notice this?
I have a friend that's a service adviser at a nissan dealership so I'm still going to take it to him.
At my condo I have a underground parking garage that stays right around 75-80 all year long but I've noticed lately now that we have triple digit temps that I could make a 15 minute trip somewhere and the temp reading says its only 85 degrees. anyone else ever notice this?
I have a friend that's a service adviser at a nissan dealership so I'm still going to take it to him.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Same with my '09 from day one. I keep my Maxima in a heated and cooled garage, and the temperature reading of the garage stays displayed for ten to fifteen minutes after I drive out into the cold or heat.
I'm not totally happy with that, but I don't let it bother me. As a weather nut with thermometers all around, I already know exactly what the temp is anyway.
Once I have been driving for awhile, the thermometer operates fine, rising and sinking as I go in and out of sunny and shady areas.
I'm not totally happy with that, but I don't let it bother me. As a weather nut with thermometers all around, I already know exactly what the temp is anyway.
Once I have been driving for awhile, the thermometer operates fine, rising and sinking as I go in and out of sunny and shady areas.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 552
From: Scottsdale,AZ
Same with my '09 from day one. I keep my Maxima in a heated and cooled garage, and the temperature reading of the garage stays displayed for ten to fifteen minutes after I drive out into the cold or heat.
I'm not totally happy with that, but I don't let it bother me. As a weather nut with thermometers all around, I already know exactly what the temp is anyway.
Once I have been driving for awhile, the thermometer operates fine, rising and sinking as I go in and out of sunny and shady areas.
I'm not totally happy with that, but I don't let it bother me. As a weather nut with thermometers all around, I already know exactly what the temp is anyway.
Once I have been driving for awhile, the thermometer operates fine, rising and sinking as I go in and out of sunny and shady areas.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
I should have mentioned that several others here had the same problem when the '09s came out, and some had their sensors replaced, which seemed to fix the problem.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 583
From: Shenadoah Valley, Virginia
As a person who runs his own weather website I expect accuracy from temp sensors and the like.
I had a go round with my dealer on this and have actually had mine replaced twice. The second time they even replaced the entire gauge cluster. It did not fix it. It is how the gauge was designed to work. I have come to the following conclusion on it's operation.
When leaving from a warm environment (garage) to a cool one (outside) or you are expecting a cooler ambient temp, the gauge temp will drop quickly to that ambient temp in the first mile or minute or operation. As Expected!
When leaving from a cool environment (garage) to a warmer one (outside) or you are expecting a warmer ambient temp, the gauge temp will rise very slowly to that ambient temp, sometimes never reaching it because of sluggishness of the designed time delay. If you have a number of short stops (a mile or two apart) and shut off the car, then this further delays the display of the correct temp. It sort of resets the timers.
What I think is going on, is the engineers were so worried of "radiator/engine heat soaking" into the sensor from under the bumper they that purposely programmed the sensor to be sluggish in response whenever there is a raise in temp. That way an erroneous temp would not be displayed. However I think they went overboard in their assumption.
I have noticed similar behavior like this on other outside temp. sensors on other NON-Nissan brands of cars I have owned. Just not as sluggish as this one.
I would like to see the algorithm of the gauge adjusted to be less lengthy or better yet just remove it and let us take our chances with the heat soaking issues. But then as one customer I do not have that much pull to get them to change it.
I had a go round with my dealer on this and have actually had mine replaced twice. The second time they even replaced the entire gauge cluster. It did not fix it. It is how the gauge was designed to work. I have come to the following conclusion on it's operation.
When leaving from a warm environment (garage) to a cool one (outside) or you are expecting a cooler ambient temp, the gauge temp will drop quickly to that ambient temp in the first mile or minute or operation. As Expected!
When leaving from a cool environment (garage) to a warmer one (outside) or you are expecting a warmer ambient temp, the gauge temp will rise very slowly to that ambient temp, sometimes never reaching it because of sluggishness of the designed time delay. If you have a number of short stops (a mile or two apart) and shut off the car, then this further delays the display of the correct temp. It sort of resets the timers.
What I think is going on, is the engineers were so worried of "radiator/engine heat soaking" into the sensor from under the bumper they that purposely programmed the sensor to be sluggish in response whenever there is a raise in temp. That way an erroneous temp would not be displayed. However I think they went overboard in their assumption.
I have noticed similar behavior like this on other outside temp. sensors on other NON-Nissan brands of cars I have owned. Just not as sluggish as this one.
I would like to see the algorithm of the gauge adjusted to be less lengthy or better yet just remove it and let us take our chances with the heat soaking issues. But then as one customer I do not have that much pull to get them to change it.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 552
From: Scottsdale,AZ
As a person who runs his own weather website I expect accuracy from temp sensors and the like.
I had a go round with my dealer on this and have actually had mine replaced twice. The second time they even replaced the entire gauge cluster. It did not fix it. It is how the gauge was designed to work. I have come to the following conclusion on it's operation.
When leaving from a warm environment (garage) to a cool one (outside) or you are expecting a cooler ambient temp, the gauge temp will drop quickly to that ambient temp in the first mile or minute or operation. As Expected!
When leaving from a cool environment (garage) to a warmer one (outside) or you are expecting a warmer ambient temp, the gauge temp will rise very slowly to that ambient temp, sometimes never reaching it because of sluggishness of the designed time delay. If you have a number of short stops (a mile or two apart) and shut off the car, then this further delays the display of the correct temp. It sort of resets the timers.
What I think is going on, is the engineers were so worried of "radiator/engine heat soaking" into the sensor from under the bumper they that purposely programmed the sensor to be sluggish in response whenever there is a raise in temp. That way an erroneous temp would not be displayed. However I think they went overboard in their assumption.
I have noticed similar behavior like this on other outside temp. sensors on other NON-Nissan brands of cars I have owned. Just not as sluggish as this one.
I would like to see the algorithm of the gauge adjusted to be less lengthy or better yet just remove it and let us take our chances with the heat soaking issues. But then as one customer I do not have that much pull to get them to change it.
I had a go round with my dealer on this and have actually had mine replaced twice. The second time they even replaced the entire gauge cluster. It did not fix it. It is how the gauge was designed to work. I have come to the following conclusion on it's operation.
When leaving from a warm environment (garage) to a cool one (outside) or you are expecting a cooler ambient temp, the gauge temp will drop quickly to that ambient temp in the first mile or minute or operation. As Expected!
When leaving from a cool environment (garage) to a warmer one (outside) or you are expecting a warmer ambient temp, the gauge temp will rise very slowly to that ambient temp, sometimes never reaching it because of sluggishness of the designed time delay. If you have a number of short stops (a mile or two apart) and shut off the car, then this further delays the display of the correct temp. It sort of resets the timers.
What I think is going on, is the engineers were so worried of "radiator/engine heat soaking" into the sensor from under the bumper they that purposely programmed the sensor to be sluggish in response whenever there is a raise in temp. That way an erroneous temp would not be displayed. However I think they went overboard in their assumption.
I have noticed similar behavior like this on other outside temp. sensors on other NON-Nissan brands of cars I have owned. Just not as sluggish as this one.
I would like to see the algorithm of the gauge adjusted to be less lengthy or better yet just remove it and let us take our chances with the heat soaking issues. But then as one customer I do not have that much pull to get them to change it.
Great info! Thanks for taking time to reply!
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
20 Maxima 10 - Now that you mention it, I have noticed that the sensor seems to adjust down more quickly than it adjusts up. Your explanation seems to fit my situation.
Since you are into meteorology, I will mention that, as part of being 'acting seismologist' during summers at the Univ of North Carolina back in the 1950s (replacing the photopaper on each of the three rotating seismograph drums, calculating where on earth each tremor had occurred, estimating its Richter strength, then reporting this to the Coast & Geodetic Survey), I also had the responsibility of recording and reporting all weather readings each day. I will never forget standing out in the blistering heat of summer trying to get a good reading on that sling psychometer. I don't know if those things still exist.
My Mother was in charge of a weather station at a U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station (my Dad was a U.S. Forest Ranger) from around 1933 until around 1945. I always enjoyed watching her record and report the readings. And yes, as a matter of fact, the Weather Channel has been one of my favorites since it came on the air thirty years ago last month.
To make this Maxima-related, a FWD car like the Maxima, with most of the weight over the drive wheels, does a surprisingly good job in snow and on ice, as long as the ground is fairly level. I say 'surprisingly good' because the Maxima is almost a 4DSC, with the lowest ground clearance (4.5 inches) of any vehicle I have owned in almost 64 years of driving.
Since you are into meteorology, I will mention that, as part of being 'acting seismologist' during summers at the Univ of North Carolina back in the 1950s (replacing the photopaper on each of the three rotating seismograph drums, calculating where on earth each tremor had occurred, estimating its Richter strength, then reporting this to the Coast & Geodetic Survey), I also had the responsibility of recording and reporting all weather readings each day. I will never forget standing out in the blistering heat of summer trying to get a good reading on that sling psychometer. I don't know if those things still exist.
My Mother was in charge of a weather station at a U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station (my Dad was a U.S. Forest Ranger) from around 1933 until around 1945. I always enjoyed watching her record and report the readings. And yes, as a matter of fact, the Weather Channel has been one of my favorites since it came on the air thirty years ago last month.
To make this Maxima-related, a FWD car like the Maxima, with most of the weight over the drive wheels, does a surprisingly good job in snow and on ice, as long as the ground is fairly level. I say 'surprisingly good' because the Maxima is almost a 4DSC, with the lowest ground clearance (4.5 inches) of any vehicle I have owned in almost 64 years of driving.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,143
From: a meadow south of Atlanta
[QUOTE=lightonthehill;8498228]20 Maxima 10 - Now that you mention it, I have noticed that the sensor seems to adjust down more quickly than it adjusts up. Your explanation seems to fit my situation.
UPDATE - Just confirmed the above statement today. The outside temp was 84 when I left home, but the car display stayed at the garage temp of 77 for almost six miles. Then it crawled up to 84. At that time a storm arrived with a hard rain. The display dropped all the way to 67 in fairly short order.
The 'slow to rise' would not be obvious to drivers of Maximas parked where the temp is the same as outside temps, as there would be little thermometer movement expected.
Just as 09Maxima_Sam said - Slow reaction to rising temps, normal on the falling temps.
UPDATE - Just confirmed the above statement today. The outside temp was 84 when I left home, but the car display stayed at the garage temp of 77 for almost six miles. Then it crawled up to 84. At that time a storm arrived with a hard rain. The display dropped all the way to 67 in fairly short order.
The 'slow to rise' would not be obvious to drivers of Maximas parked where the temp is the same as outside temps, as there would be little thermometer movement expected.
Just as 09Maxima_Sam said - Slow reaction to rising temps, normal on the falling temps.
Last edited by lightonthehill; Jun 5, 2012 at 04:28 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 5
From: Philadelphia, PA
Same issue with temperature changes
My 2011 has the same exact issue as described here. Slow to rise, quicker to go down. My 2004 did not have this issue, the temp would adjust pretty quickly. I thought about contacting the dealer but that ends up being a hassle most of the time since they generally have no idea...and I do not feel like going back repeated times for them to needlessly replace things. I guess I will just live with it and keep an eye on the threads to see if anyone comes up with anything.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 552
From: Scottsdale,AZ
My 2011 has the same exact issue as described here. Slow to rise, quicker to go down. My 2004 did not have this issue, the temp would adjust pretty quickly. I thought about contacting the dealer but that ends up being a hassle most of the time since they generally have no idea...and I do not feel like going back repeated times for them to needlessly replace things. I guess I will just live with it and keep an eye on the threads to see if anyone comes up with anything.
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