How far "off" has your temp. gauge been?

Last night my wife and I were running some errands when we past one of those bank signs with the temperature on it. The bank sign said it was 80 (that seemed about right to me.) The gauge in my truck said it was 106. When I noticed this I pointed it out to my wife. The funny part is that within seconds of seeing this, it climbed to 111! 31 degree spread, 3 or 4 I can understand but 31 degrees seems a little extreme.

Chris

 

Have you moved yours at all? Mine seems pretty acurate within a degree or two compared to those sign. The only time mine is really off is when I first start it and the front of the truck has been pointed into the sun, a few minutes later it gets back on track though.

 

I really don't expect it to be accurate, it reads from right there in the engine bay. Just a gimmick if you ask me.

 

No, never touched until today. I bought the truck new. I did pull it apart and check the "510" resistors just to be sure they were not causing any problems. Resoldered them just to be sure but it is still way off. Oh well!

Chris

 

Most bank sings i see are inaccurate as hell here.. newer banks that is.

 

Same here, but there is no way it was anywhere near 111 at 10:00 at night in middle Georgia last night.

 

Mine seems fine also. Do you think the sign was correct?

 

My gauge seems to be very accurate once I have been driving for a couple minutes. It always reads about 3 degrees higher than the actual outside temp.

 

Mine has been fairly accurate except for one day. It read 72 degrees during the entire trip when it was about 105 outside. The next day it was fairly accurate again.

 

Mine's usually about +/5F from reality usually... close enough.

 

I m glad someone brought this up cus I think mine is kinda fucked too. When its cold its seems to be right on but in hot weather its way off.

 

mine seems to be fairly accurate

 

take it to the dealer if you are under warranty!

 

My temp gauge has been pretty wonky too- seems to get stuck on the temp reading when the truck was first started. On repeated short trips (less than 2 miles) it never changes from that initial reading. On longer trips it seems to normalize but takes quite a few minutes to do so, then it is fine until sitting overnight again.

Not a big deal just a minor annoyance.

 

Difference between Farenheit and Celsius is 32 degrees. You sure you didn't switch it by accident?

 

Mine has been off a few times, but its usually because the trucks been sitting in the sun...... I don't know where the sensor is, but I'm sure with the truck sitting in the sun, heat coming off the metallic surfaces in the area, engine heat, etc..... It's gonna be off.

Usually after driving it for a bit and the air flows in & around it (??) - it's gets more accurate.

 

Mine's allways off. (I don't have one)

 

I too live in Warner Robins, Ga. If you are refering to the bank sign on Houston Lake Rd, it is accurate. My Tacoma dbl cab's compass temperature gauge reads within a degree of the bank. I can tell you this that it has not been 111 degrees at night in the many years I have lived here. Check the sensor in front of the radiator. They are not too expensive to replace.

 

To answer a few questions:

I'm out of warranty due to mileage, so no help there.

I did check to see if it had been switched from farenhieght to celsius but that was not the case.

We had been out driving for 30-45 min. so I think it would have had time to "normalize."

I sure the sun had nothing to do with it. This happened between 10:00 and 11:00 at night.

I agree that it is a minor annoyance. I don't rely on the temp gauge anyway. I just thought it would be amusing to see what other people had experienced.

 

Yeah RL, it was at the Sunmark bank on Houston Lake. When we turned next to Lowe Toyota it climbed another 5 degrees within seconds. My wife and I just laughed it off and kept driving.