GM Air Temperature Sensor Failures
 

All GM recall jokes aside.

I'm on my 2nd IAT sensor in the past 2 weeks, and it just went out again.
Doing a typical read 0.. read 56F randomly.. read 0..
With my MAT corrections it really makes idle and cruising weird.

I'll get a picture but it's located 4-6" from TB @ bottom of charge pipe.

The last one had no oil on it or anything. Just seemed like it got too hot. When I replace this one tomorrow I'll post findings if it is debris and pictures.

I was wondering if anyone has had similar problems?

Where are you buying them?

First was from DIY, second from DIY, third from O'reilly (BWD)

I have never seen an air temp sensor fail. The only broken ones I've seen where from impact damage.

ive only broken one, and like ben said, was from impact damage. I broke off the glued little element under the cage.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1404503328
Replaced and nothing out of the ordinary.
No oil or debris in the charge pipe.

This is my location:
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1404503328

I'm going to see if I can dig up a way to test the sensor itself. It should be a typical resistance test for room temp

Those are simple RTDs. Extremely robust. I have a similar device in my office that was used in a direct lightning test (i.e., hit with an arc). It still works and is perfectly accurate.

Definitely test the sensor before condemning it. It's much more likely that something else is wrong, especially if you are on your second one.

Replaced sensor, temps are working prefect now.
It's kinda hard to argue that logic.

I'll test ohms tomorrow
Around 70ºF I should see 3.4KOhms I think.

Seems more likely you have something like a bad connector that works loose over time.

I had a couple fail on my SC NA, I think that it was caused by air pulses or vibration that would eventually break one of the fine wires attached to the pankake like sensor, i put a dab of silicone w a toothpick on the wires to dampen vibrations on the last one and have had no faliure a since.

Its your wiring. Mine did the same thing. Next time it shits the bed look at the laptop while jiggling the connector. Go on ballenger and buy the enclosed connector that you should have used the first time (made the same mistake) for a better connection. That also looks like the wrong sensor, the sensor should have a bigger cage than that, normally the cage is gray.

My old sensor read no resistance.
I'd like to check a new one whenever another comes in.

I can check the plug but it's just re-pinned plug. No problem when I played with it before. Ya never know though.
Cage color matters not and same size from what I remember. Yes, the DIY one is gray (the first that failed) but different manufactures I suppose. It's the correct sensor though. (BWD WT382)

Enclosed connector though? I'll have to check into that.

I had mine do this twice.

First time the sensor broke off in the cage.. ever since then i use a dremel to open the cage up and squirt a little bit of red silicone into the area below the sensor, where the wires are thinnest to help assist in carry the weight and not reply on the thinnest part to hold it and breaking off

Second time was because the connector, the weather seal did not seal, had to jiggle the wires a little and then it worked fine.. it did that every now and then before i replaced that

Yeah, I tried jiggling the wires because after maybe 50mi on the new sensor and opened up TS it was reading 0° again.

I'm with you guys. I'm pretty sure it's the connector. Not sure how, everything is nicely pinned.


This the plug?
http://www.bmotorsports.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/109_130_132/products_id/850

I had a problem with one of my ait sensors when I had it placed upside down like that. Over time it got filled with some water/oil from the pcv system and it completed the circuit well enough to give odd readings. There wasn't really any oil in my charge pipes either when this happened.

Yeah, generally you would want to mount the sensor so it can drain condensation out of it since they have a cage and not a closed sensor.

Yeah I don't think like it on the bottom. It's so it's hidden and out of the way, but still easy to get too.