DOMINION

OK I was driving around and I looked at the temp on the thermostat it was 111 out. Then I'm going down hill and the temperature was going down. I went down to 109! I'm like ok its getting cooler out?

Is that the temperature that is in the car or out side? This happen with the windows down well I was drinking a Tropical Smoothie

Mazda gave me a new engine or so they say and one more oil cooler too, Think that has anything to do with it?

I have a 2004 AT.

Thanks for any help

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

Uh, the temp display on the dash is outside the car. The sensor is lust to the left of the driver-side headlight in the "mouth" of the bumper.
That is in the manual, you know.

It is affected by speed - if you are sitting still for a while, it will creep up because of heat soak from the motor.

Old Rotor

Hot air goes up and cooler air falls so it is normal for it to get cooler as you desend.

MazdaManiac

iTrader: (3)

You gotta descend a long way before that matters (like hundreds to thousands of feet).
Especially in the desert.

What Gilbert was seeing was the effect of moving air on the outside temp sensor, that's all.

RotaryXLR8ing

Uh...actually the standard lapse rate is 2 degrees centigrade colder per thousand feet of elevation. The temperature goes down as you go up. Some references cite 3 degrees per thousand for adiabatic cooling.

Its always colder on the glacier at the top of Mt. Kilamanjaro than at the bottom of the hill in the Serigeti Plains.

Seem counter-intuitive to the thermodynamic law taught about heat rising and cold descending (convection). Probably drove early scientist crazy.

Nubo

You're either a pilot or a meteorologist.

Old Rotor

I live in northern California where there are many hills. On hot evenings I drive around with the windows down and notice a big change in temp as I go up and then deep into the valleys where it is much cooler. My temp gauge moves 10 degrees or more.

RotaryXLR8ing

Ah...Old Rotor, you are experiencing micro-climates. Those are areas where the geography has characteristics that create unique localized effects.

I envy you get to drive your 8 in and through those hills. Some of that is from times that when no large airmass movements create an air exchange in those valleys and so if the valleys are steep and solar heating during the day does not have the opportunity to charge the localized valley air as much, it WILL be colder down the hill; think of it as Shangri-la where it was so isolated the weather on one side of the mountain was not the same as the weather on the other side.

There are also some upslope fog situations that will create temperature inversions, but for the most part standard lapse rate applies. And I ain't making this up, you can look it up.

Back to the very original post, my guess would be that what Dominion experienced has nothing to do with weather or the temp. 2 degrees F is not very much variation and just a change of direction could change the reading that much.

DOMINION

Great thats all I needed.

Razz1

Ok Mr At

DOMINION

Not if the golf course sprinklers are on lol

KJ238

My 8 doesnt have this temp display.... Would someone post a pic so that i can admire it lol

DOMINION

Really? OK I'll post a pic for you when I get home K.

Razz1

Hell, he just wants to post another picture of boobies.

Oh, I forgot you are now booby less.

Did you ever find out where I hid the dead fish?