Air Temp Sensor Relocation
 

Hello all, I just wanted to report on my experiences in moving my intake air temperature sensor.

I moved my sensor from the stock location (on the bottom side of the intake manifold) to my Greddy elbow. I was originally planning on putting it in my intercooler piping near the battery, but the metal of my intercooler pipes wasn't thick enough to tap threads into.

So anyhow, the basics of this are:

1 - Remove Intake Air Temp Sensor (IATS) from the intake manifold and plug the hole up with a sawed down bolt with some sealant

2 - Extend the wires/plug for the IATS to reach your new location. I recommend soldering the wires together for a solid connection.

3 - Mount the IATS in your new spot. I drilled a hold in my Greddy elbow and tapped it with the correct thread. I also filed the area of the hole flat so that the IATS would seal well against it. Do NOT put a lot of torque on it if you put it in the Greddy elbow! That thing is very soft and I'm sure you could easily strip out the threads you just made.

Results:

While I had the IATS out, I tested it by hooking up a multimeter to it and then blowing hot air on it... it actually responds pretty fast! The main problem with this thing is heat soak, not that the sensor is too slow. I know most people knew this already but I like to test things for myself :)

The IATS definitely responds faster to temperature changes now. It's not like, "OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT!" but it is noticeable. It used to be that after sitting idling for a few minutes the thing would be up at around 60-65 C and then even after driving at 60 mph, it would just sit there for quite a while before coming back down slowly. And you know it never seemed to -quite- get back down to where it was before you pulled over and let the car idle for a few minutes.

Now it warms up some, but not as much while idling... then when I start moving, it quickly picks up a few degrees because the intercooler is hot. After another minute or two, you can see the intercooler getting cooled back down by moving through the air and it drops back to 50 C or so. (All this testing was done on a 90+ F day).

All in all, I'm quite satisfied that this is a mod that works. You won't be astounded and amazed, but it does have a positive impact.

Brian

Thanks for the writeup! Good to hear more people doing this, and their results. Do you know the thread size/pitch for the tap, offhand?;)

I am pretty sure it was M10 x 1.25.

I did this about a year ago and it made a huge difference. You really can't appreciate how much heatsoak the UIM has until you relocate the sensor.

What about water injection, you would need to make sure the AitTemp was closer to the engine then the water injector in the air path right?

Yeah, that was my thought too. Either move the IATS or put the wat injector farther back towards the intercooler.

My mechanic has the Greddy elbow with the extra injector bungs . One was cut off and a blow off valve is there, the other bung has a nylon plug with the air temp senser threaded in the plug . The heat soak through the nylon is very slow . A little time on the lathe and another good mod .

I also recently moved my air temp sensor. I had an aluminum bung welded to the polished M2 intercooler pipe a little bit before the Greddy elbow. The thin walled tube heat soaks less than the elbow. I get fairly fast response mounted there.

So what are the benefits of doing this besides faster response?

Not popping motors because the sensor heatsoaks and tells the engine the air is hotter than it really is = less fuel!

photos would be nice...

I'm doing this today. Great write-up man:bigthumb:

I was thinking of removing the AWS hose from the stock elbow, mounting the sensor on a plug, and using a really short piece of hose to clamp it on. Anyone try this?

hmmm... great write up bro...

will it work relocating the sensor to the stock oem elbow??

Cihuuy, absolutely. There is plenty of "meat" on the stock elbow to tap the threads. Its actually probably a little better to use the stock elbow since it isn't metal and thus less likely to heat soak.

How would you attach it? you could maybe glue a nylon piece on to the elbow, then put the sensor in that. but that looks like a great place for air leaks under boost.

I'm just now getting ready to put it in the intercooler piping. :cool:

Matt

Drill it, tap it, screw the sensor in with teflon paste on the threads, and be sure not to overtighten.

tanx guys... ill try this mod over the weekend... :D i will hate myself if i do it wrong... so, any1 got pix of the setup??

good luck man, I'll have some pics tomorrow if you want them. whats your e-mail?

matt

DOH!

Where was this thread about 2 weeks ago when I had all that crap on the garage floor. :eek:

;)

Nice writeup Wargasm. I've read older threads about moving the sensor but it's nice you put everything all into one place. Definitely a thread for the archives. :bigthumb:

OT: You don't post enough.... Please post more often and send me your avatar please in a more detailed form. God she is hot. ;*)

Sorry for not posting in great detail. I've got to pick up my intercooler piping tomorrow with the boos for the temp sensor welded into place. I put mine in the tube coming out of the front mount, all I need is my pipe. should work out well. I can send you some pics if you want. What is your e-mail address. I would post them but I cant ever figure it out :( .

......there is that enough? :D ;)

devilh_75@hotmail.com

tanx...

i think i'm gonna saw the nipple off of my stock elbow since i no longer have anything going to it, fill the hole with some strong epoxy, drill it and tap it for the sensor, run longer wires, and see if that helps any. i'll prolly do it this weekend, so i'll let everyone know how it works

Thanks for the writeup!

Did you mount it facing the firewall?