the temp gauge in my car isnt working! my dads van showed 116, the thermometer outside showed 111, and the one in my car showed 88! then the other night the van showed 78, outside 80, and the one in my car showed 85! how can i fix this? is there a way to reset it? please any info would help. thanks

 

mine is off all the time too. i dun think its messed up??

 

are you talking about the exterior ambient temp that is displayed on the dash?
There is some minor adjustment possible. plus or minus 5 degree F
Read the gen2 book on testing and setting
It a simple probe in front of the radiator, behind the bumper and is affected by being parked, road surface temp and radiator temp...so its really designed to warn of potential ice on roadway conditions in near freezing temps.
When its hot out- its just hot
here is the free link to owner book- https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/...01_OMANUAL.asp
click the year and model for your car

 

its temp setting indicator gets messed up when someone tries to reset the oil change/maitenance minder and goofs-
its a similar process with the trip buttons and the key- but one way adjust the temp and the other resets the 7500 miles minder

Or the probe is damaged or worn out, or debris is blocking it. Easy to find, and check in glass of water with ice cubes. should read 32F

When driving, its about 5 minutes at speed before its accurate.

 

^ but it will only change a few deg. But yea if the car is sitting after its been run it will be off due to the radiator being right behind it. Only way to test it is with a known good thermometer, a glass filled with water and ice. let teh water sit in the ice for a while (10-15min), insert the known good thermometer into water and get good reading. then stick the car thermometer into the water and turn the car to the run position (not running) and see what the gauge shows after a few min. If its just a deg or 3 off from what known thermometer shows, while key is still in run position push and hold trip and reset till you see the numbers adjusting. use the buttons to go up or down till its accurate.

 

Off topic...whats the highest the temp will read in our cars? I live in Arizona and we've been getting 115 - 117 degrees days lately and it only maxes out at 113.

 

what buttons do i press until its accurate?

 

you quoted it. But DONT do it till you have a known temp with a cold motor or the results wont be accurate.

 

so i found the thermometer. i put an ice cube on it to see if its working. it got down to 70 degrees and then stopped. idk whats wrong? what the next move here?

 

Take the time to re-read my instructions. Also do it with a COLD motor. Do it first thing in the morning BEFORE driving the car.

 

a glass of water with ice cubes in it- so its about 32 degrees- is what you need to do- remove the sensor from its holder- place in ice water- turn key ON- wait a few minutes- should read close to 32
adjust using trip reset buttons within 5 degree up or down

As kris said-- and MUST be dead cold--- no radiator temp interferance to the reading!
check owner book for max reading limit
Its designed more for cold weather, to warn of potential ice on road condition/ near freezing temps. Those who cross bridges understand the importance of this guage!!!