I just installed an electric Autometer transmission temp guage with the sensor in the side of the transmission pan. I also installed a 20,000 lb tranny cooler to replace the stock cooler that came with my towing package.

What temperatures should I expect to see on the guage? The first few days the guage didn't move above 130 degrees (the bottom of the scale) but the outside temp here in Canada was minus 15 C so this was to be expected I guess. My trips were all short ones around town. This AM, however, I drove further around town and found the guage jumping up to 210 F and higher for a few seconds before the truck warmed up. Even when warmed, the temp continued wide fluctuations around town - between 130 and 185 mostly - 150 seemed to be the most consistent temp. I took a short trip outside town and the temp remained at a constant 130 F - didn't fluctuate a degree until I got back into city driving again. All this without the trailer. Are these temps and fluctuations normal?

Weather permitting, I intend to head south this week and would like to get a better handle on what arerealistic temps under different circumstances. I pull a small fiver (5000 lbs fully loaded) with a 97 F150 4.6. I'm within the GCWR by about 500 lbs. I realize I'm pushing it and that's why I added the bigger cooler and temp guage.

John

PS: MitchF150 - if you're reading this thread, I considered your idea of putting the sensor in the line but went with the pan on the advice of my local tranny shop. Long story but as you said, the key is know ing where I'm getting the reading from and adjust according.

 

John,

Hey, I did see it!

Anyway, I don't understand why you would have those kind of temp fluctuations?? If anything, I would expect them to be VERY consistant considering the sensor is in the pan....

What kind of cooler did you end up with? Is it a "tube and fin" kind or just a bigger version of the stock one (stacked plate)?

Those tube and fin ones need a lot of airflow to work well IMO.

I don't get those types of fluctuations and that's with my sensor in the output line. It will rise and fall, but only when the TC unlocks.

The most I've seen mine go while cruising at highway speed is 180*. That's empty or towing in around 90* weather. Towing in the hills when it was in the 40's outside, it was running around 135*-150*. On one good pull, it did go to 165*.

Right now, mine will barely get over 100* running empty even after a 15 mile highway run. It's in the upper 30's, low 40's during this time.

Dunno...... Since you said it's mounted on the "side of the pan", maybe it's not staying submerged in fluid 100% of the time?? I've heard that happens sometimes when it's in the test port hole too??

Good luck!

 

MitchF150,
What year is your truck and how does one determine which line is the out flow line WITHOUT removing/disconnecting them?
Thanks for the help and the temp info.
Lonster

 

Lonster,

It's a 97 with an E4OD and it's the TOP line that goes into the rad.

FYI, the lower line on the rad should then go the aux trans cooler and that line goes back to the trannies pan.

I tapped into the line before it goes into the rad. There is a rubber hose section of the line and I just cut it in half and using a brass T and assorted other fittings from Home Depot and a 12" section of additional hose, that's how I've got mine setup.

Good luck!

 

I thought that 96 was the last year of the E4OD in the F150s and in 97 they went to the 4R70W.

 

Trans code "E" on my door jamb...........

I thought it was a 4r100, but was told it's a e4od.

It's got the same huge pan as the 4r100 does however.

 

When I am running solo in the winter, I hardly ever see the gauge move and my Autometer starts to read at 100*F. If you are seeing 210, something is wrong. I only saw 210*F once on my truck and that was at the summit of Roger's pass towing my 7000# trailer on a 30*C day.

My gauge is in the test port, so you should see the same temps in the pan.

Maybe you have a bad sender unit. The temps should move slowly up and down, not jump around.

Ian

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. I've been on the road this past week and am now in Memphis. The guage has settled down and didn't move off 120 while towing on the highway or a bit in town. My previous post was wrong - I misread the first mark as 130 when it was really 120. The first number on the guage is 100 but the marks start at 120 and go up in 15* intervals. The one exception was yesterday when I went throught a carwash and it jumped up to 170* for a few seconds but then settled back to 120 when I started moving again.

MitchF150 - Sorry for my ignorance but I'm not sure what type of cooler I have and my invoice with details is back home. Just looking at it I'd say it's the fin and tube style (horizontal fins and small vertical tubes with larger tubes on the 2 sides) and it's about 12" tall and 10" wide. Does that sound like the fin/tube type? Any other thing I could look at? My tranny guy said sometimes you might get an air pocket in the pan around the sensor and that might account for a temporary jump. Anyway, I'll be watching it as I get further south and see what happens.

John

 

Sounds like you have a bad connection. You shouldn't have those fluctuations.Recheck your wiring and the ground wire on your gauge.

 

suvdrvr, I took your advice and disconnected, tightened and then reconnected all the guage wiring - even the one connected to the sensor. Problem solved! Since then (about 3 weeks ago) I've seen no great fluctuations and I've towed the trailer all over Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. The highest reading was about 135 on a 80 degree day in Brownsville Tx. Most of the time it's around 120 with the outside temp in the 50's and 60's. I've has some steep hills but no mountains but I'll be watching the guage closely when I get into them.

Thanks again for all your comments.

John

 

I'm ordering a set of gauges for my truck and one of them is a tranny temp gauge. Where is this test port that was talked about? I've got a '01 5.4l but I don't remember what trans it's got offhand.

 

Here's a description of the test port location I got from another thread:

On both transmissions the line tap is on the driver side just a few inches in front of the range sensor. It requires a 7/16 socket and has (is) 1/8 pipe thread.

if you do a search on 'test port' you can get more info.

John