false temp readings when plowing

[MannyC]

all. greetings. need some help with my 2010 3500 srw mega. equipped with midwest western plow. when i have the plow on and am running, i get false exterior temps. im assuming that the plow blocks airflow to the sensor. truck does not run hot i.e. coolant. seems to me that the sensor is behind the grill on the drivers side. the false high temp, i believe is causing the heat to not operate correctly. does this situation happen with the cold weather mask on too? seems stupid to have the temp sensor in a spot that is so close to the radiator and is easily blocked. any thoughts? might be a good genos upgrade to offer a factory plug style sensor relocation kit.

anyone else have this issue?? thanks. Mannyc

 

[DonFitzwater]

Nothing you can do when running a plow except build an air foil like blizzard offers. The winter fronts from cover craft don't affect your temp readings. The factory mopar cover does.

What do you mean by "causing the heat to not operate correctly"?

 

[slingshot383]

The factory cover does NOT affect the outside temp sensor, it is cut out where the sensor is. Actually, a plow shouldn't cause an issue either, unless it covers the grill right in front of the sensor. If it needed a wind flowing over the sensor, it would malfunction at every stoplight.

 

[Bug Out]

in 2013 they moved the temp sensor to the driver side mirror arm.

 

[AH64ID]

The readings aren't updated below 20 mph due to heat from the radiator in close proximity.

What doesn't work with the heat? That sensor should have no bearing on any function.

 

[DonFitzwater]

The factory cover does NOT affect the outside temp sensor, it is cut out where the sensor is. Actually, a plow shouldn't cause an issue either, unless it covers the grill right in front of the sensor. If it needed a wind flowing over the sensor, it would malfunction at every stoplight.

My truck with factory cover will read as much as 30 degrees above ambient, hence the reason I got a cover craft from Genos garage. Plows will AlWAYS cause temps to be indicated high because of obstruction of airflow through the grill area. This is why a TSB was released to allow full fan clutch lockup for additional cooling in fourth gen trucks.

 

[mwilson]

No finer winterfront ever made than an 8' Fisher Plow hoisted about 6" off of the ground.

Mike.

 

[MannyC]

the issue i am having dfitzwater is that the exterior temp reading is off due to the plow. the engine and trans are not getting hot. i will check on the tsb for the full clutch lockup next time im at the dealer.

question is - does having a false high reading interfere with interior heat? i believe it does. when the outside (wrong) reading goes above the heat temp i want inside, i believe i am not getting heat. i have also had the ac compressor snowflake show up on the indicator.

 

[AH64ID]

The inside heat should look at the cab temp for adjustment not the ambient. Even if it uses ambient the cab heat should be the primary.

 

[mwilson]

I think that it would depend on the sophistication of the RAM climate control if so equipped.

I can tell you that Cadillacs use outside ambient, interior overhead, and interior dash temp sensors to determine the correct level of heating and cooling required to keep passengers at the exact temperature selected on the HVAC control unit.

Mike.

 

[DonFitzwater]

the issue i am having dfitzwater is that the exterior temp reading is off due to the plow. the engine and trans are not getting hot. i will check on the tsb for the full clutch lockup next time im at the dealer.

question is - does having a false high reading interfere with interior heat? i believe it does. when the outside (wrong) reading goes above the heat temp i want inside, i believe i am not getting heat. i have also had the ac compressor snowflake show up on the indicator.

I don't have a plow on my 2010 but when the factory winter front was installed and my temp readings were much higher than ambient, I always had good heat. I admittedly don't know how the climate control works so hopefully someone in the know will chime in. SAG? BOB?

TSB # is 07-003-10 and your truck does not need to go to the dealer to try it out:
High coolant temperatures on vehicles equipped with snow plows.
Customers that operate their vehicle with a snow plow attached to the vehicle may cause the
airflow passing through the radiator to be disrupted resulting in higher than normal engine
temperatures. The Cummins ECM is equipped with software that can fully engage the fan
clutch to allow an increase of airflow through the radiator. Customers can initiate the fan clutch
operation by performing the following button sequence:
• Turn the ignition key to the run position or start the truck.
• Simultaneously press and release the Cruise Control “Cancel” button/lever and the
“Exhaust Brake” button. Repeat this sequence four times within five seconds. The chime
will sound twice as an audible indicator that the function is engaged.
• To disable the function, repeat the same procedure. The chime will sound four times as an
audible indicator that the function is disengaged.
Note: ’07-’09 truck engine ECMs were not equipped with the fan engagement software. These
engines would require the latest software update (18-020-10) in order to have the fan-on capability.

Is your heater not work all the time or just when the plow is installed?

 

[jhenderson]

Plow mode will do nothing for for your oat readings. This problem has been present ever sense the advent of the digital oat gauge. The airflow around the plow actually creates an area of dead air between the back of the plow and the grill. This draws a small amount of under hood air towards the grill and warms the oat sensor slightly. You will find the faster you drive the higher the oat reading, while the engine temp remains steady.