Driving Without An Ambient Temperature Sensor

[MightyMaverick]

My truck was involved in a minor accident that was powerful enough to knock out my ambient temperature sensor. As a result, I no longer have a thermometer and the check engine light has been activated because of it. I am currently waiting on insurance to get after the other party's insurance that caused the accident. This way, I can finally schedule an appointment at my local Ford dealer's body shop. Until then, I have to drive without an ambient temperature sensor.

My question is, will this cause more internal damage? Since the truck doesn't know what temperature it is, there isn't an efficient level of air/fuel mixture going into the engine which has resulted in a reduction of power. Being a turboed engine, it used to be very peppy but without that sensor, it's become very bogged down. Driveable but slower. I worry that driving without that temperature sensor will result in premature engine wear before it even gets fixed. Should I be worried or am I reading too deep into it?

Hopefully, it won't be too much longer but it's been a thought that's been in the back of my mind.

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[Sticks]

Looking at your photos of the damage, I'd speculate that the wiring to/from the sensor is what is damaged.

The sensor is mounted in the middle of the lower grille, which appears untouched. But the wire harness runs directly behind the area you got hit at. If the driver's side sidemarker in the bumper is also not working, then it's definitely the harness that's damaged. You could remove the bumper and try to splice the wires together temporarily until the body shop can replace the harness.

 

[Quest]

The ambient temp sensor should not cause a large loss of power, I would think the intercooler may have been damaged & you are having a lack of boost from a leak

 

[MightyMaverick]

Looking at your photos of the damage, I'd speculate that the wiring to/from the sensor is what is damaged.

The sensor is mounted in the middle of the lower grille, which appears untouched. But the wire harness runs directly behind the area you got hit at. If the driver's side sidemarker in the bumper is also not working, then it's definitely the harness that's damaged. You could remove the bumper and try to splice the wires together temporarily until the body shop can replace the harness.

Thankfully, the side marker does work so the damage won't be as extensive. However, I'm not gonna touch it since I'm not a professional and don't want to make the damage any worse.

 

[MightyMaverick]

The ambient temp sensor should not cause a large loss of power, I would think the intercooler may have been damaged & you are having a lack of boost from a leak

The radiator is a little crooked but there's no fluid leaks since there's no stains or steady drip in the driveway. Plus, when I turn the A/C on, I hear the compressor kick on so I know that's still working. I want to say the recovery hook is responsible for damaging the harness for the AAT sensor since it buckled in. However, the side marker still works despite getting hit so it's as extensive as I think.

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