so i bought one of those clinometers with compass, before i realized that my jeep came with its own compass. when i installed it, i realized that no matter which direction my jeep is pointed it always registers southwest. if i take it out of the jeep, it points in the correct direction. put it back in, and it goes right back to SW. any ideas?

 

Where exactly have you mounted it? Does it make a difference if the Jeep is on and running, or off?

I'll try my handheld compass in the same location in my Jeep.

 

same problem regardless of whether the jeep is running or not. i had it mounted on top center of the dash, right between the windshield and that little "organizer," but it seemed like no matter where i moved it, it stays pointing SW. i just checked and it points southwest if it is in the following positions:

from back to front of the jeep, anywhere from the front half of the rear seats, to about halfway down the hood (it reads correctly in the rear cargo area and on the hood in front of the windshield bumpers)

from side to side, anywhere within the parameters above, but also to about two feet OUTSIDE the jeep.

top to bottom. it reads incorrectly all the way from the ground below the jeep until it is about 2 feet above the jeep.

so it seems like you need to be further than two feet away in any direction before it starts to read correctly.

FYI, i put it in my wife's minivan, and it reads correctly unless it is VERY close to an airbag. but in the jeep it seems to be affected not just near an airbag but all over the place and even outside the jeep.

 

LOL.. I tossed my smart phone up there every so often.. The dash compass locks in where it was at the time the phone hit the dash. I'm going to guess the sensor for the compass is in the center of the dash and the magnets in the phone's speakers are jacking with it.. Same could be happening with your flop-o-meter...

 

i just did some more testing with a real compass, and when i am in the confines mentioned above, the compass points west instead of north. it doesn't change at all based on my location, so i can't pinpoint where the magnetic field is. strange????

 

but my problem is the opposite. the jeep's digital compass works fine. the clinometer's magnetic compass (and two other compasses i tested) all think west is north when inside the jeep...

 

Anywhere in the Jeep of on the Dash..??

 

The factory compass module is located on top of the radio, underneath that cover. That may be what's throwing it off.

 

My handheld compass, when in the Jeep, says north is 60° to the east of magnetic north.

 

strange. mine says north is about 90 degress west of true north when in or near the jeep. i wonder if the direction your jeep is parked right now is the difference? my jeep is pointing southeast