Got the thermostat putting it in now. What should I use for thread sealant? Thread compound or Teflon tape

I used Permatex thread sealant, i'm not a fan of tape in these types of applications .

Hose clamps?? I got the worm ones they make me nervous the hoses are hard to get off the barbs but they don’t tighten very well.. does the trans put out a lot of psi

I ended up using only Teflon tape as recommended by company.. so it got it hooked up and went for a test drive all uphill for about 7-10 miles and this is what I ended up with . This is as hot as it got. Never dropped below 150 even coasting.. thought these were 180 thermos...

Also this is what it looked like out of the package.. looks like some grease on the edge of the round parts... an does the thermostat on the inside supposed to be open that much??

Ok, the thermostat starts to open at 160* and is fully open at 180*. It always allows 10% of the fluid through regardless of the temperature of the fluid. The other thing to keep in mind is the outside temperature cold air is going to cool better than warm or hot air. You're in the mid 160* so that an improvement. Why would it drop below 150*? Theres 18 quarts of fluid, once it hot it doesn't cool instantly.

Ah I was thinking it’d stay at 180 but I saw the Knick marks and what looked like grease.. wasn’t sure if it was a defective part someone had and returned then shipped to me.. ok so 150 is a good temp to rub at as far as condensation issues. Thanks for the help fellas wouldn’t have got this far without any of it..

I agree Brian, the PCM reading gets hotter faster than the test port but the test port eventually catches up and is within 10*.

Pretty sure my gauge is also in the test port