Notices
6.4L Power Stroke Diesel Engine fitted to 2008 - 2010 F250, F350 and F450 pickup trucks and F350 + Cab Chassis

Transmission temp ?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 11, 2011 | 08:27 AM
  #1  
farmb0y's Avatar
farmb0y
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,365
Likes: 0
From: IOWA
Club FTE Silver Member

Transmission temp ?

Wondering what everyone is seeing for trans temps? I'm trying to compare what I'm seeing now to my '99, and to me they seem really hot. Just cruising empty they can get up to 170*. The other day I was towing 20K+ behind the pickup and had them up to 230*+ driving through town. I about didn't make a hill because the TC was slipping so bad, was just crawling at about 10mph.
That was with KEM 250 tune.

I just had a transmission flush done and they said everything in the trans looked good. I was seeing the same temps before as after (except for the high temps and slipping).

Guessing my TC is going. Is there a good way to test the cooler? What's available for aftermarket?
 
Reply
Old Aug 11, 2011 | 08:36 AM
  #2  
senix's Avatar
senix
Super Moderator
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Top Answer: 1
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 37,375
Likes: 1,860
From: Frederick, MD
Club FTE Gold Member
When towing heavy I would strongly suggest towing it in stock form. Unless you have some specific tunes to adjust the tranny.

running empty for me is around 170F Towing I run around 190-200 with about 14K behind me.
Long Long grades I can see 220F maybe at the top. I have my alarm set at 215F so that I back out of it then.

Tranny is suppose to be able to handle 220F maybe a bit more for a few without damage.
<220F for a considerable amount of time.
 
Reply
Old Aug 11, 2011 | 08:52 AM
  #3  
farmb0y's Avatar
farmb0y
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,365
Likes: 0
From: IOWA
Club FTE Silver Member

Ok, your numbers look a lot like what I usually see, so I'll assume they are normal. I may have to start looking for a bigger cooler though. I'm used to my '99, I had the trans rebuilt and put on a bigger pan and 6.0L cooler, I had to be running the crap out of the truck with a lot of weight for it to hit 170*, it was even hard to get it to 150*.


Originally Posted by senix
When towing heavy I would strongly suggest towing it in stock form. Unless you have some specific tunes to adjust the tranny.
LOL, thanks! No offense, but you won't get me to run my truck back in stock form. I know the risk it takes on the trans, if it goes I'll get it rebuilt. On the highway it actually tows great, temps stay within check. KEM tunes offer better shifting than stock. I hated the way the trans worked when it was stock, especially in tow/haul mode it wouldn't lock it out of 5th gear. Here in Iowa, we have a lot of little sharp hills like a roller coaster. With stock tuning, it'd drop to 3rd to get up the hills, then back up to 5th coasting down the other side, and back and forth going up and down the hills. Mike(KEM) locked out 5th gear for me in tow/haul mode and it does beautiful in 4th gear going up and down the same hills. I love it.
 
Reply
Old Aug 11, 2011 | 08:57 AM
  #4  
senix's Avatar
senix
Super Moderator
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Top Answer: 1
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 37,375
Likes: 1,860
From: Frederick, MD
Club FTE Gold Member
so it sounds like you do have some trans tunes going on there. That was my concern.

So maybe like you said..getting time for some tranny work.
 
Reply
Old Aug 11, 2011 | 09:09 AM
  #5  
farmb0y's Avatar
farmb0y
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,365
Likes: 0
From: IOWA
Club FTE Silver Member

I'm justing wondering if it wasn't a "fluke", towing in town trying to keep up with traffic, got the fluid hot, slipping the TC and it just snowballed from there.
I'm watching on my Insight now when the TC is locked, and about the only time is when it's at highway speeds. Might have to call Mike and see if that can be changed.

Do you know, is there a way to "manually" lock the TC? On my '99, you tap into a specific wire and with the flip of a switch I can lock my TC at any speed. It worked great because I tow farm equipment with top speeds of 30mph, and normally the TC wouldn't lock and I could watch my temps climb. When I locked up the TC I could almost watch the temps drop back down. That would have been usefully in this situation.
 
Reply
Old Aug 11, 2011 | 09:12 AM
  #6  
senix's Avatar
senix
Super Moderator
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Top Answer: 1
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 37,375
Likes: 1,860
From: Frederick, MD
Club FTE Gold Member
As far as I know there is no wire to use since I think all the functions are controlled by the TCM and the PCM now. So all electronic.

Yes it would be nice to be able to lock it lower speeds.
 
Reply
Old Aug 11, 2011 | 09:30 AM
  #7  
sdetweil's Avatar
sdetweil
Hotshot
25 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,591
Likes: 14
From: Pflugerville, tx
Club FTE Silver Member

I just did 2800 miles at 70mph (stock) towing 6000lb, watching the tranny temp and TC slip with my Dashdaq..

tranny temps highest was like 205, and normal in the 194-198 range
and TC slip in the 0-5rpm range (when locked)..

there is no manual mechanism to lock the TC.. this is all pgm controlled.

right now, on the spartan tune I had been using, they have it lock at 45mph.
more time locked, more 'better' mileage
many of us don't like it locked that low, and Spartan is reworking their tunes to have a lo and high lock level versions (as I understand it), but no parameter the user can adjust/select other than a complete tune package.

Sam
 
Reply
Old Aug 14, 2011 | 08:26 AM
  #8  
fg250's Avatar
fg250
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 522
Likes: 0
From: oswego, new york
i don't own a trailer to tow anymore, but driving down the road empty my tranny sits right about 159. I didn't have the DashDaq when I was towing the race trailer every weekend, so I don't know what it was then.
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

 Brett Foote
story-2

Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-3

Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

 Brett Foote
story-6

2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

 Brett Foote
story-9

5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

 Joe Kucinski
Old Aug 14, 2011 | 08:42 AM
  #9  
Bounds-Electric's Avatar
Bounds-Electric
FORD USER
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 376
Likes: 0
From: EARSTERN SHORE OF MD.
Club FTE Silver Member

Pulling my 22,000 pound trailer temps just above 200 . I have a over size base and almost two times oil.
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ga2015f150
2015 - 2020 F150
9
Sep 21, 2017 10:22 PM
CLE-PRE
Excursion - King of SUVs
6
Aug 1, 2016 06:07 PM
mclarengts
1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel
26
Jan 23, 2012 06:48 PM
cldomson1
1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel
13
Aug 16, 2011 05:13 AM
Paul Moody
1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel
4
Jan 17, 2008 01:27 PM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:59 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE
story-1
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

And it might be even better than that.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-18 19:26:42


VIEW MORE
story-2
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

Slideshow: Does lowering an F-150 Lobo RUIN the ride quality?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-18 19:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-3
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Slideshow: Ford's bizarre fishing-themed Explorer concept has resurfaced after spending decades largely forgotten.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:07:46


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Slideshow: The 10 best Ford truck engines we miss the most.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 13:09:47


VIEW MORE
story-5
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Slideshow: first look at the 810 hp 2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road!

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-12 12:50:07


VIEW MORE
story-6
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Everything You Need to Know about the 2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-07 17:51:06


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

Slideshow: 10 most surprising Ford truck options/features in 2026.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:17:22


VIEW MORE
story-8
Top 10 Ford Trucks Coming to Mecum Indy 2026

Slideshow: Here are the top 10 Fords coming to Mecum Indy 2026.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:49:49


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Best / 5 Worst Ford Truck Wheels of All Time

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 worst Ford truck wheels of all time

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 16:49:01


VIEW MORE