Transmission cooling
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 947
Likes: 6
From: Manitoba, Canada
I acquired a trans temp gauge for free so installed it on my daily driver truck. Installed it in the winter and thought it was busted because it barely moved. Even towing a hauler with my F100 on board on a really cold winter day the gauge barely moved. I never got around to removing it. Come a hot day in summer with a lot of stop and go in town and up comes the gauge. A transmission isn't like a motor that runs at a normal temp and apparently ambient outside temperature, driving conditions and towing all effect the temp.
Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 14,255
Likes: 199
From: Phoenix, Az.
NOT PLUMBED! You better get an A/T radiator then. An auxiliary cooler is meant to be just that. Auxiliary. Most the generated heat goes away in the radiator. You may get away without it during the winter BUT don't roast your tranny. On a few threads recently Ultraranger has posted a real good graph that shows what heat does to a tranny.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6,399
Likes: 40
From: El Dorado, Arkansas
I haven't put a drain plug in my truck's C-4 pan just yet but, I will. I had put one in the C-4 pan of my '68 Mustang back in the early '80s --before I swapped it over to a Top-Loader 4spd.
This time, while I have the truck's C-4 pan off to install a drain plug, I'm going to epoxy a magnet in the pan too.
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,031
Likes: 72
NOT PLUMBED! You better get an A/T radiator then. An auxiliary cooler is meant to be just that. Auxiliary. Most the generated heat goes away in the radiator. You may get away without it during the winter BUT don't roast your tranny. On a few threads recently Ultraranger has posted a real good graph that shows what heat does to a tranny.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 6,399
Likes: 40
From: El Dorado, Arkansas
I acquired a trans temp gauge for free so installed it on my daily driver truck. Installed it in the winter and thought it was busted because it barely moved. Even towing a hauler with my F100 on board on a really cold winter day the gauge barely moved. I never got around to removing it. Come a hot day in summer with a lot of stop and go in town and up comes the gauge. A transmission isn't like a motor that runs at a normal temp and apparently ambient outside temperature, driving conditions and towing all effect the temp.
Several references also agreed that in climates that were near, or below zero, it was advised to let the vehicle warm up before driving. Most people living in a cold climate would probably do this anyway, if for no other reason than to let the interior of the vehicle warm up before the driver got in and was on their merry way.
In my case, there's no problem of extremely low ambient air temperatures or transmission fluid temperatures being 'too cool.'
Averages here in the winter are generally in the 30's. Although, we've been down in the low teens (13) in a few recent nights. The lowest I've ever seen it in my area is about 9 degrees. So, the cold climate is definitely not a problem in my area. --on the other hand, hot is a problem here in the summer time.
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 3,920
Likes: 271
FWIW, I have owned my 63 F100 for 30+ years. It has always had a 390/C6 drivetrain. From 1984 to 2008 it was my daily driver. I have put over 400,000 miles on this truck since I've owned it. It has never had a radiator with trans cooler in it. It has always only had an auxiliary trans cooler in front of the radiator. The trans has only been rebuilt twice since I've owned the truck.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,982
Likes: 7
From: Somewhere Saskatchewan
What kind of vehicle do you have?