Ambient Temp Sensor Location /Replacement 01 S40

[drvolvo]

My ambient temperature sensor has been reading 140 for awhile now (and other haywire temperatures in between). Google searches suggest that others have this problem, and yet I never found any good solutions/pictures addressing this issue. So I've taken it upon myself to set the record straight and provide pictures of the part in question!

First thing first: Location. The ambient temperature sensor on the 2001 S40 is located on the driver's side of the car. Face the car and down and to your right the sensor is located in the gap running below the headlights. You do not need to open the hood to access anything. See Pictures below

In this picture you can see the metal holder in which the sensor rests. Gently pull back the sensor from the metal clip and you'll see what I have in the next picture.

VolvoTempSensor 001a.JPG (48.71 KiB) Viewed 16735 times

Here you can see the sensor attached to the wiring. There is a plastic clip on the top of the sensor that you must pull/hold back as you wiggle the sensor from the wiring unit. You can see the clip in the picture on the top on of the sensor. The sensor is connected to the wires pretty good but not too tight that you can't work it off with your hands. Gently work the sensor back and forth until the two separate.

VolvoTempSensor 006b.JPG (53.44 KiB) Viewed 16727 times

Here is a shot of the sensor.

VolvoTempSensor 003c.JPG (44.39 KiB) Viewed 16725 times

And finally another shot of the sensor with the part numbers on them (30810375)

VolvoTempSensor 005d.JPG (41.9 KiB) Viewed 16726 times

You can search by the part number (30810375). The part MSRP price is $29.16. It is $24.79 according to mysweedishparts.com and $18.78 at Tasca Online Parts (http://www.tascafordparts.com).

Since it is the holiday weekend, I don't have the part to slap in to make sure it works, but when I removed the sensor the dash went from reading 140 to -40, so I'm pretty sure I removed the right part. I'll let you know how things work once I pop a new sensor in.

So for under 20 bucks, we don't have to live with ridiculous temperatures anymore!!

(It took me 3-5 times longer to complete this post and upload the pictures than it did to locate the part and wiggle it free. This is as easy/innocuous as changing an engine air filter.)

[drvolvo]

Update:

So I got the replacement ambient temperature sensor from Tasca Parts and it works like a charm. No more 140 degree days! Now if I could only make it stop raining.

[AmericanT4]

Great post. Thank you for the info.