What Guages?
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Joined: Nov 2004
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Can someone tell me why the trans gauge on the dash that comes stock is no good? I keep seeing this but no one backs it up with any reason or evidence or experience...or anything to support that claim. Enlighten me...
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When the trans temp reaches a certain threshold the guage (actually an indicator) reads in the normal range, and stays there until it overheats. An indicator is same as an idiot light, it'll let you know when your in trouble.
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From: Dark side of the moon
If I understand 3/4ER correctly the trans guage in the dash is not really a guage. It is an idiot light. Ford, trying to make it look pretty, put a guage look on a light. So when the temp is normal the guage reads "normal" and stays there until the temp is overheated then the guage will pop to the "hot" level.
Last edited by Antacus; Feb 26, 2005 at 11:59 PM.
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I understand what you guys are saying...however no one has backed that opinion up with anything. What proves or disproves the idea that the guage is a dressed up idiot light and not a real gauge that goes up or down as the temp rises and lowers?
The other gauges on my dash work as gauges...the speedo works...the RPM's work...the water temp gauge works...and my tranny gauge slowly rises as I warm up my truck in drive, down the road. I watch it rise. My oil pressure gauge works...why would all those gauges work...but not the tranny temp? Seems kinda odd to me...that the other 5 gauges work...but somehow...the tranny temp gauge is a dressed up "idiot light". Doesn't make much sense to me.
The other gauges on my dash work as gauges...the speedo works...the RPM's work...the water temp gauge works...and my tranny gauge slowly rises as I warm up my truck in drive, down the road. I watch it rise. My oil pressure gauge works...why would all those gauges work...but not the tranny temp? Seems kinda odd to me...that the other 5 gauges work...but somehow...the tranny temp gauge is a dressed up "idiot light". Doesn't make much sense to me.
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From: 3rd Rock
I run two gauges, I would not necessarily say the stock one is "junk" it has a very slow reacting thermocouple (sensor) my experience is...... it is spot on for temp readings...just very slow to react....
I know then your going to say it is junk…I still say no, realize what you have and your OK.
I have pulled two 10k+ passes within twenty miles (lots of weight, see gallery) and never even got close to the middle of the green area….I do not go up hills easy either...
I personally have never seen the stock gauge hang at one temp and then jump to the next it has been smooth across its range and how it progress through the temp range….(it does jump on inital warm up) I will not say it is impossible to have this happen, mine has never shown this unique rate of climb.
I know then your going to say it is junk…I still say no, realize what you have and your OK.
I have pulled two 10k+ passes within twenty miles (lots of weight, see gallery) and never even got close to the middle of the green area….I do not go up hills easy either...
I personally have never seen the stock gauge hang at one temp and then jump to the next it has been smooth across its range and how it progress through the temp range….(it does jump on inital warm up) I will not say it is impossible to have this happen, mine has never shown this unique rate of climb.
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From: TEXAS
First, the trans temp guage moves gradually up to oper. temp, it stays at normal until 280, then it moves to the yellow band, at 300 it moves to the red band. The water temp guage is the same, but I do not recall the temps, but it stays at midrange until a certain temp at which point it moves to the top (hot). The oil temp guage is the worst, it is actually commanded by an on-off switch and that's it. It will never read above normal. The switch closes at 6psi which moves the guage to midrange, then stays there until the engine oil press drops below 6psi again at which time the guage drops to low, that is all that it will do. The only 3 guages that operate in a full range spectrum are the tach, speedo., and fuel guage. The trans and water temp guages are commanded from the PCM, not from sensors. The signal from the sensors goes to the PCM where it is interpreted and then a signal is sent out to the instrument cluster for each guage, except the oil pressure which as I said is commanded directly from an on-off switch only. I hope this clears up the mystery behind the idiot light guages that Ford has given us. For verification, read the 6.0L Bible, or go to Ford and read the manuals.
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From: TEXAS
Since the guage gets its signal from the PCM, I would say that the PCM or programming is the problem with the delay and deadened response. Do you have a "green" area on yours? Mine is just the background black and then a yellow bar and a red bar at the top.
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Speaking of gauges...my wife's Exploder's water temp gauge hit H last night on the way home. I checked it and no leaks, or issues that I could see..idled it for 15 minutes with the AC on. No problem...the gauge appearently was all over the map..up and down and high and middle. This morning she went to work at 5am and had to run the heater at full blast to keep the thing from over heating. I have to drive down there tonight and pick her up...an hour away and drop the Exploder off at the dealer.