P0096
Intake Air Temperature Sensor 2 Circuit Range/Performance
- Severity
- Low
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The second intake air temperature reading is inside its valid range but not plausible in context - it does not agree with the other temperatures the module can see, or it does not change as it should when the engine is worked and the charge air heats up.
Possible causes
- CommonFailed intake air temperature sensor 2
- CommonCorroded or oil-fouled connector
- CommonWiring fault between the sensor and the module
- PossiblePoor earth at the sensor
- PossibleOil mist from the crankcase breather coating the sensing element
What you might notice
- Slight loss of power, particularly on a turbocharged engine
- Hesitation or rough running
- Poor fuel economy
- Check engine light on
- Often nothing obvious while driving
What to check, in order
- Compare all the temperature readings the module has - this sensor, intake air sensor 1 and coolant - after the vehicle has stood overnight. They should agree within a few degrees, and the odd one out is the faulty one. This is the quickest test available and it needs nothing but a scan tool.
- Check the connector for corrosion and for oil. On a boosted engine this sensor often sits downstream of the intercooler where oil mist collects.
- Check the wiring and the earth before replacing the sensor.
- Look at what else is stored. On a turbocharged engine this sensor feeds boost control, so a boost or charge air code alongside usually shares a cause.
- Watch this sensor against intake air sensor 1 while the engine is worked. The charge temperature should rise under boost and fall again as the intercooler catches up; one that never moves is not measuring anything.
Read this code from your own car
Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.
Where this code sits
P00xxP01xxP02xxP03xxP04xxP05xxP06xxP07xxP08xxP09xxP0AxxP0BxxP0CxxP0DxxP0ExxP0FxxP10xxP11xxP12xxP13xxP14xxP15xxP16xxP17xxP18xxP19xxP1AxxP1BxxP1CxxP1DxxP1ExxP1FxxP20xxP21xxP22xxP23xxP24xxP25xxP26xxP27xxP28xxP29xxP2AxxP2BxxP2CxxP2DxxP2ExxP2FxxP30xxP31xxP32xxP33xxP34xxP35xxP36xxP37xxP38xxP39xxP3AxxP3BxxP3CxxP3DxxP3ExxP3Fxx