Transmission Too Hot!

[Duradan]

I was driving down the freeway today and the temperature on my gauge was 220 degrees...

So I got to my shop and used an infared temp gauge on the pan to make sure the gauge was reading correct and it was...
I then was told that if you take the back tranny line off and put it in a bucket and run the truck for 20 seconds that you should get no less than 1 quart... (I got 2 quarts... (make sure lines are not plugged)

The tranny cooler is mounted under the bed of the truck, so now I have resorted to the fact that its not getting enough air, or too hot of air from the tranny, exhaust, motor, etc... so Im going to mount it infront of the radiator...

My question is, is there anything else that could be causing the high heat? I was towing anything and I was just cruising... and truck is shifting perfectly and locking up...

 

[Tom S]

So you have a cooler with no forced airflow across it?

 

[old man dave]

Is the 220* a change or did you just install a temp guage? You can also install the cooler just behind the front bumper if its one with cooling holes in it.

 

[Duradan]

So you have a cooler with no forced airflow across it?

no, it has a fan attached to it...

and ive had the temp gauge, the truck hasnt been driven much lately, and this was the first longer trip its been on and i noticed it

 

[Tom S]

What kind of cooler do you have or can you post up some photos?

 

[chromehound]

How's the fan controlled? The aux. cooler on my first gen was temp controlled by a thermocouple and when it went bad the fan quit working.

 

[Duradan]

How's the fan controlled? The aux. cooler on my first gen was temp controlled by a thermocouple and when it went bad the fan quit working.

Its got a fan mounted on it, and mine is also controlled by thermostat.
the fan is running when it gets hot...
im building a bracket to mount the cooler in front of the condenser right now, will post pics tonight...

 

[TyCorr]

Why didnt ya put it there in the first place? Jus asking.

 

[Duradan]

Why didnt ya put it there in the first place? Jus asking.

it was put on years ago by a diesel shop... im only 19 and in the past few years ive become more of a mechanic, and now Im doing it the way I want...

And im taking a break from it right now cause I am so god damn frustrated with it! it is a bitch to fit it in there, gonna have to cut the black grill support and screw to it... and build some of my own brackets and spacers to get it to fit

 

[TyCorr]

You talking about cutting the core support or the actual steel radiator core support?

I think you can put it in pos 1 without too much hassle.

 

[Duradan]

well, its halfway in, I cut out the bottom of the plastic core support (one side), and then mounted two bolts too the center pillare of the plastic... and then built brackets to come from the other side of the core support... we will see if this helps keep her cooler...

 

[Yodersstrokin96]

what size cooler is it??

 

[Duradan]

probably about 18" x 12" x 5".... with a fan on it...

 

[Duradan]

finally got the cooler mounted in the front, drove the truck around quite a bit today and never got above 195, so i think it helped A LOT....
the true test will be this weekend when I tow my jeep up some good grades, and go up a dirt road for 2 hours to my deer camp...

 

[TyCorr]

195? In front of your a/c condensor? Right behind your grill? That seems hot still....

Im thinking sub 160 is normal for driving around in hot temps.

 

[Tom S]

Is your oil to water cooler in the radiator still in place in the cooling circuit?

 

[TyCorr]

Is your oil to water cooler in the radiator still in place in the cooling circuit?

I didnt know obs trucks had that? I thought the super duty's didnt have that until LATE 2000?

I need to switch to that setup. Mine just goes from the trans to the cooler. If I run a huuuge cooler is that equally sufficient?

 

[Racer X]

I was driving down the freeway today and the temperature on my gauge was 220 degrees...

So I got to my shop and used an infared temp gauge on the pan to make sure the gauge was reading correct and it was...
I then was told that if you take the back tranny line off and put it in a bucket and run the truck for 20 seconds that you should get no less than 1 quart... (I got 2 quarts... (make sure lines are not plugged)

The tranny cooler is mounted under the bed of the truck, so now I have resorted to the fact that its not getting enough air, or too hot of air from the tranny, exhaust, motor, etc... so Im going to mount it infront of the radiator...

My question is, is there anything else that could be causing the high heat? I was towing anything and I was just cruising... and truck is shifting perfectly and locking up...

Yes, larger injectors mean more engine heat will radiate to everything. One transmission specfic thing that will cause higher fluid temperature is an increase in fluid pressure. Chips have to raise overall fluid pressure to firm shifts. That makes the pump work harder, and raises fluid temperature. Raising overall pressure causes higher balance pressure in other circuits that must be overcome at all shift points to firm the shift. Overcoming higher balance pressure increases wear on valves, hubs, splines and other internal parts due to overlap of 2 clutches at a shift point. Overlap is a partial apply of 2 clutches during a shift. Ideally during a shift, one clutch applies as another goes to exhaust and releases with no overlap.
A better way to firm shifts that doesn't raise overall pressure and lowers fluid temperature is a custom valve body. Custom valve bodies can send pressure where and when it is needed to firm shifts. The result is quicker firmer shifts, less wear, lower fluid temperature and increased transmission life. When using a chip with a custom valve body, the tuner needs to burn the chip to increase engine power and let the valve body take care of the transmission.

280-300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius) is the actual overheat temperature for ATF. Some other types of hydraulic fluids typically get over 400 F during normal use.

If you actually overheat your tranny, a sensor will flash the overdrive light on the shift lever. A diagnostic code will be set for transmission over temperature. Monitoring transmission fluid temperature with a gauge is an excellent idea since the flashing OD light doesn't tell you why it is flashing. Consider a gauge as a must have. Monitoring your fluid temp with a gauge will allow you to pull over before you overheat and prevent transmission damage.
You need to pull over immediately if your transmission actually overheats or you will quickly ruin it. That's a no brainer... :morons: LOL

`

 

[Tom S]

Nice post Racer X

 

[Tom S]

I didnt know obs trucks had that? I thought the super duty's didnt have that until LATE 2000?

I need to switch to that setup. Mine just goes from the trans to the cooler. If I run a huuuge cooler is that equally sufficient?

It seems to be reported that the guys with 6.0 coolers are fine.