Trans Temp regulator valve???
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Providence, RI
No, I'm saying the radiator doesn't warm up. The engine warms up, but the radiator does not. The thermostat keeps the engine warm, but the radiator doesn't get hot. It cools the coolant inside. Since the thermostat is limiting the flow of coolant to the radiator the coolant spends a lot of time sitting in the radiator cooling down. Cold coolant in the radiator can't heat the trans fluid. Engine oil doesn't enter into this at all.
Having burned myself by touching radiators before, I honestly have to say that I don't know what the hell you are talking about. Hot coolant from the hot engine enters the radiator, and is *cooler* by the time it exits the radiator, but is not cooled down to *ambient* temperature by the time it head back into the engine through the return hose. The coolant at the bottom of the radiator may not be *as* hot as the coolant exiting the hot engine; in fact, it may even be "cold" relative to the engine temp.
But when the "cold" coolant (what, maybe 50ºF?) is warmer than the "colder" transmission fluid (~15ºF) passing through the in-tank heat-exchanger, then the heat-transfer will be from the coolant to the tranny-fluid. That's what the readings from my gauges say.
As for the mention of the engine-oil temp, I simply raised that to indicate that the block-heater is effective at heating both the coolant *and* (to a degree) the engine-oil before I warm up the engine, but not the tranny-fluid (one possible explanation of why the tranny-fluid might be warm after I've warmed up my motor).
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From: Kamloops
I think and have to agree with Mark and what he says about the radiator heat not having an effect on the tranny coolers in sub-zero temps because they are not intertwined with each other. They may be close to each other but are still separate systems, and any heat transfer would be totally negated in the sub-zero temps that I am living in right now. This is exactly what my guages and truck seem to be telling me in my situation. I am not going to be warmed hovering over my engine in these temps, especially if it was possible when driving, so why would my tranny cooler be warmed?
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 423
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From: Providence, RI
I think and have to agree with Mark and what he says about the radiator heat not having an effect on the tranny coolers in sub-zero temps because they are not intertwined with each other. They may be close to each other but are still separate systems, and any heat transfer would be totally negated in the sub-zero temps that I am living in right now. This is exactly what my guages and truck seem to be telling me in my situation. I am not going to be warmed hovering over my engine in these temps, especially if it was possible when driving, so why would my tranny cooler be warmed?
I believe only the '99 had the external fluid-to-air cooler alone.
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From: Kamloops
On my 2000, and I believe on all later SD's, there is a fluid-to-fluid transmission cooler internal to the engine radiator itself, in addition to the fluid-to-air external cooler, so they are not two completely separate systems. The tubes of the tranny-cooler internal to the radiator are literally entwined in the engine-coolant passing through the radiator.
I believe only the '99 had the external fluid-to-air cooler alone.
I believe only the '99 had the external fluid-to-air cooler alone.
Well, I could be totally wrong about that then. That is why I originally posted. To figure this all out.
Is that the same setup on an 02 as well? What I'm getting at is what Mark says just makes sense to me with what is happening to MY truck. Not trying to start anything here, just deliver my .02 
.
Frmr Ford Trans Engr
Joined: Aug 1999
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From: SE Florida
Believe it or not, that's what I measured. I'm not just guessing and making up numbers. And it wasn't a one time test, it was repeatable on cars and trucks.
All '99s and '00s until February, 2000, had only an air to oil cooler. They added the radiator cooler in February, 2000.
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4
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From: Valencia
I see no one has posted to this in a while, but this thread seems to have a lot of knowledgable people in it. Every "high trans temp" thread I've read seems to happen in cold weather climates. Mine on the otherhand is in Southern California, in the summer, and only when I tow my toyhauler up a very steep and windy mountain road. I'm in 1st or 2nd gear and I watch my needle move slowly to the red line, I don't have a cool guy temp gauge, and then it drops back down to the middle. I assumed it was a thermostat doing this, but obviously from this thread it's not. Maybe this is normal with the work the truck is having to perform...
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From: Kamloops
The way I see it, is the tranny oil in the radiator may warm up to a non gelled state in this circumstance, but the oil in the external tranny cooler will stay gelled in the sub-zero temps until the ambient air temps rise. This creates a blockage of flow to the cycle, that will not unplug regardless of how warm the engine gets. Everything seems to point to this theory as the climate warmed up too.
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