P0097
Intake Air Temperature Sensor 2 Circuit Low
- Severity
- Low
- Driving
- Drivable — book it in
The second intake air temperature sensor circuit is reading low - outside its valid range rather than merely inaccurate. As with the other temperature sensors, the electrical direction and the temperature direction are opposite: resistance falls as temperature rises, so a short circuit reports impossibly hot air and an open circuit reports impossibly cold.
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.
- Unplug the sensor and watch which way the reading jumps. Open and short drive it to opposite extremes, which separates a wiring fault from a failed sensor without removing 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