ok well i took my car to oreilys and found out what cel i was throwing and it was the idle air temp so i bought a new iat sensor and install it today. first i disconnected the batter both neg and pos. then i pulled the bad iat sensor out and put in the new iat sensor. then plugged it back into the quick connect with the two wires that go to the wiring harness then i assume the firewall. then i went back up to oreilys had them delete the cel code it was throwing and everything was fine. then about 15 miles later the cel came on again and same thing iat sensor. so i am looking for some answers is there something i did wrong or forgot to do? i looked at the two wires and they look good but i didnt follow them all the way back just about 6 inches or so out of the sensor is as far as i looked because the rest is covered up in electrical tape and a plastic loom. any help is greatly appreachiated thanks oh and the car is an 05 cavalier here is a pic as well to show if it helps
Did you ever find the answer to this as im having the same issue now on my 03?
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94 Honda Del Sol
Hey guys I had a similar problem in my GFs 99 4dr I thought it was a bad sensor too. I hooked up my scanner and the IAT temps were all over the place! It even causes the A/C to not work. It turned out the wire that connects to the clip that plugs into the sensor had broke. It was about an inch from the plug and under the tape. Since I had my scanner hooked up I could see the temps coming from the sensor and I noticed that when I jiggled the wires that it would change the temps. If I held it a certain way it was fine and then when I let it go it would read -40F. With the wire completely broke the temp reads -40F. So I went to Autozone and bought a connector to join the wire back and it is looking good! I also thought that it was a bad sensor, so you should check your wiring to make sure there are no breaks!
Hey,
I have the same problem with my 03. The sensors on the cavaliers are @!#$ best thing to do is go to the junk yard, find a iat sensor, and make sure the wires are secure in the plug itself and cut it off about 4 inches back then replace it.
Mine turned out to be a broken wire in the clip that attaches to the IAT. SO i took it a part and sodered heaver wires in the clip and then reattached them to the harnes. I havent had any other issues since i did that!
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94 Honda Del Sol
Ok I have the same problem with my 03. I have replaced the sensor and garbed a new plug from a donor car
and replaced about 4 inches of the wire. NO luck. does any one have any other Ideas of what could cause this?
I have a short ram on my car and I noticed that a couple of other people with this problem have some sort of
short intake. Could that be the problem? this has been going on for almost a year and a half now and it's time
for it to go away.
First of all IAT doesn't stand for idle air temp....... it stands for Intake Air Temperature.
And your IAT shouldn't throw a code.... I've ran several cars with them unplugged and the ECU doesn't seem to care at all. IDK maybe Eco's are different.... but thats still odd.
What does the scan tool say the trouble code is relating to the IAT? High or low Voltage, or what?
Also... are you sure that the place scanning the car isn't confusing your IAT with your IAC?
Weebel wrote:....... it stands for Intake Air Temperature. Also... are you sure that the place scanning the car isn't confusing your IAT with your IAC?
x2 my cel came on and it was a similar thing. iac plug slipped out some.
Ok my 03 cel code was IAT Intake air temp sensor High input. I am sure It was read right
I did it. I know some places dont like doing the scan and read it wrong trying to go back
inside and sit on there ass. The IAT is what's trowing the code. For some reason alot of the
ecotec have this problem. could the computer be miss diagnosing the IAT for the Iac?
No the computer will not mistake the IAT for the IAC, there completely different parts of the system.
I've just never seen an IAT code before.... apparently the newer cars can throw them.
If your showing high input from your IAT sensor.... that means the computer is either seeing an extremely high or low temperature most like on the edge of it's threshold. (idk if high is cold or hot)
Either the IAT is bad, or there is something in the wiring skewing the electrical resistance off enough to show the false reading.
If you replaced it already.... check all your wiring and connections between the sensor and the ECU.
Last result would be an ECU malfunction but thats prob not the case.
I've left the IAT sensor unplugged by mistake after having the intake off, and I threw the code and my car ran a LITTLE rougher.
If a new sensor doesn't cure that problem the next place is go through the connector and wires.
I was more or less thinking the reader would mistake the code but that i know is high
unlikely. I know the ECU would not mistake the codes. I was kind of thinking that the
high input may be too much air flow too close to the sensor could this be the case?
I had thought of the hot or cold thing but I have lived in Florida which would explain
the hot but I was also in North Carolina last winter and nothing changed still the same
reading. I know my brother and I had a 97 sunfire that we had the IAT placed in the
front bumper and the car never through a code. That is one of the reasons this is so
irritating to me. I am getting my car back in may and will try the rest or the wiring
and the ecu. other than that I have no clue.
I dont see a problem with where it's placed. You probably just have a gremlin (wiring issue or something)
Good luck man... and if worst comes to worst.... if it doesnt effect how the car runs..... screw it and ignore the light.
I would check the connector on your IAT plug, I posted on this back in 10/07 and that was my issue. It appears that GM decided to use really cheap and small wires to the IAT and if you unplug it a few time the wire just falls apart in side. I took the stock plug and took it apart de-sodered the orginal wires off and then re-sodered heavier wires in place and then rehooked them to the factory wires. Been over a year no CEL from the IAT!
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94 Honda Del Sol
