2006 E350 Trans Temp Guage
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From: north hollywood
2006 E350 Trans Temp Guage
okay, i just got this van and i am towing with it every weekend, so i am currently rigging it out with all the neseassaries... i got my electric trailer brake hooked up, got my old GM23 CB hooked up, but which trans temp guage do i get? where from? i do not want to get the one thats cheap and its inline out of the tranny before the radiator. i want a temp guage that tells me what the pan temp is. so who should i buy from? thanks hobie 
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http://www.autometer.com/default.aspx
Why pan temp? It is my understanding from the discussions I have read on this board that the temp of the fluid as it exits the tranny provides the quickest and best info of what is happening.
JP - 2003 E250 5.4L
Why pan temp? It is my understanding from the discussions I have read on this board that the temp of the fluid as it exits the tranny provides the quickest and best info of what is happening.
JP - 2003 E250 5.4L
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From: north hollywood
Originally Posted by Done_Deal
http://www.autometer.com/default.aspx
Why pan temp? It is my understanding from the discussions I have read on this board that the temp of the fluid as it exits the tranny provides the quickest and best info of what is happening.
JP - 2003 E250 5.4L
Why pan temp? It is my understanding from the discussions I have read on this board that the temp of the fluid as it exits the tranny provides the quickest and best info of what is happening.
JP - 2003 E250 5.4L
so anyone put one in the pan that can tell me what size fitting i need?
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Berkeley
the autometer phantom trans temp gauge i got came with a sensor that screws into one of two bungs that screw into 3/8 or 1/2" NPT threaded holes. (note that 3/8" npt would be the inner diameter of the standard pipe with that thread, so the actual hole is larger.) my guess is that one of these would fit into the standard drain hole on the trans, but my old C6 doesn't have any drain plug. cheap pan replacements are available with drain plugs, but i'm not sure i'd want the sensor sticking straight down as the lowest thing to scrape off under the vehicle, so i'd prefer to find one with provisions for trans temp sender on the side somewhere. Summit carries a bunch of deep aluminum pans for the C6, and while none of them have a temp sender bung already in 'em, surely there must be room somewhere to put one...
then again, i don't see how the temperature of the ATF just outside the case (on the way to the radiator/cooler) could be any HOTTER than the pan temp.
and it sure would be easier to splice into that than remove the pan, unless i needed to flush the trans anyways...
then again, i don't see how the temperature of the ATF just outside the case (on the way to the radiator/cooler) could be any HOTTER than the pan temp.
and it sure would be easier to splice into that than remove the pan, unless i needed to flush the trans anyways...
Last edited by packlet; Mar 23, 2007 at 09:31 AM.
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https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...e-install.html
I went through this last year when I installed an Autometer trans temp gauge on my '04 E350. The good folks here suggested using the test port, and a friend who is a Ford mechanic with a list of certs up and down both sleeves, agreed. In fact, he got bored one afternoon and did it for me.
I don't know how much you are towing, but generally speaking, trans temps remain about 100 degrees below ambient. Towing a comparitively light open trailer with 2200 lb.s of car and another 700 lbs. of gear, we rarely see anything over 170 degrees measured this way.
I went through this last year when I installed an Autometer trans temp gauge on my '04 E350. The good folks here suggested using the test port, and a friend who is a Ford mechanic with a list of certs up and down both sleeves, agreed. In fact, he got bored one afternoon and did it for me.
I don't know how much you are towing, but generally speaking, trans temps remain about 100 degrees below ambient. Towing a comparitively light open trailer with 2200 lb.s of car and another 700 lbs. of gear, we rarely see anything over 170 degrees measured this way.
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Originally Posted by packlet
then again, i don't see how the temperature of the ATF just outside the case (on the way to the radiator/cooler) could be any HOTTER than the pan temp.
Originally Posted by packlet
and it sure would be easier to splice into that than remove the pan, unless i needed to flush the trans anyways...
On the driver's side of the trans, towards the front, just above the pan is a black hex head plug. Remove that plug and install the sender. The port is already tapped for the same thread as the sender, so it goes right in. This location will give a reading almost identical to the pan.
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Originally Posted by wreckerboy
trans temps remain about 100 degrees below ambient.
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From: north hollywood
ya, i put a tranny temp guage in on my PSD and i put the sender in the test port on the side of the tranny. i just want to make sure i order one with the fitting that is correct for our tranny.
talking about towing, while wieght is an issue what i dont see people considering is mountians. my trailer is light. loaded its 6k lbs. BUT today i hauled it up a 8% grade for 10 MILES our of paniment valley. i have some friends in east texas that make fun of me because they think i dont need a full ton van or v10 for towing, but they dont have mountains to deal with. they dont understand.
on my 02 PSD, my tranny overheated on every grade when towing my toy hauler. it was undergeared. on flat land it did fine, but mountains killed it.
talking about towing, while wieght is an issue what i dont see people considering is mountians. my trailer is light. loaded its 6k lbs. BUT today i hauled it up a 8% grade for 10 MILES our of paniment valley. i have some friends in east texas that make fun of me because they think i dont need a full ton van or v10 for towing, but they dont have mountains to deal with. they dont understand.
on my 02 PSD, my tranny overheated on every grade when towing my toy hauler. it was undergeared. on flat land it did fine, but mountains killed it.
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From: The dark carnival
Originally Posted by Casey
The torque converter creates most of the heat in an automatic transmission. The line to the cooler comes from the torque converter outlet, so that is the hottest ATF. The pan holds fluid that has already been cooled.
And even easier than that is the pressure test port.
On the driver's side of the trans, towards the front, just above the pan is a black hex head plug. Remove that plug and install the sender. The port is already tapped for the same thread as the sender, so it goes right in. This location will give a reading almost identical to the pan.
And even easier than that is the pressure test port.
On the driver's side of the trans, towards the front, just above the pan is a black hex head plug. Remove that plug and install the sender. The port is already tapped for the same thread as the sender, so it goes right in. This location will give a reading almost identical to the pan.
But, whats the better location for the sensor...test port or cooler lines?
I am assuming that the test port, oil pan and RETURN cooler line should all be about the same temp where as the PRESSURE cooler line will be the hottest. I have heard and read that 180 degrees is the ideal operating temperature for an auto trans...but WHERE should it be 180 degrees? Pan? Test port? Pressure cooler line?
Posting Guru
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From: Jasper, MO
You want to know when the trans is overheating ASAP. THAT means checking the fluid as SOON as it leaves the transmission. The pan fluid is the sump the transmission draws fluid FROM, and as such is basically the coolest fluid hands down, being the receptical for the fluid coming from the cooler.
Remember the key is detect heat BEFORE it becomes a problem, and you can adjust your driving to match.
Remember the key is detect heat BEFORE it becomes a problem, and you can adjust your driving to match.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Saint Augustine, FL
Originally Posted by eco
But, whats the better location for the sensor...test port or cooler lines?
I am assuming that the test port, oil pan and RETURN cooler line should all be about the same temp where as the PRESSURE cooler line will be the hottest. I have heard and read that 180 degrees is the ideal operating temperature for an auto trans...but WHERE should it be 180 degrees? Pan? Test port? Pressure cooler line?
175~180 is about the ideal operating temp for an automatic. You want to keep it in that range for normal operation, including towing at cruise speed. You will see higher temps when climbing long hills or in constant hilly terrain. Normal high temp for long climbs should be about 220 and it should return to 180 within the next couple of miles after the climb. So the cooler should be sized to keep temps within that range for the load you are towing. The temp should never exceed 240 because you run the danger of boiling the fluid and that starts all kinds of problems.
Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT
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