Does anyone know how I get the codes to get tranmission fluid temp with my scan gauge II?

At what temp should I start to be concerned? I know different gauges read the temps from different arieas of the tranny and so the safe are can vary. Anyone know what normal ranges should be with the scan gauge?

 

The SCII reads the temp inside the converter, which will always be the hottest temp. I have both a SCII and a analog temp gauge that uses the diag port - on a recent trip I noticed as much as a 15* difference between the 2 (the SCII read hotter).

As far as normal ranges, I was told that the tranny can run ~220* without damage. If course this depends on the age and condition of the fluid, which is key.

If you two a lot (like I do) I would say change the fluid every 2 years or 30k miles. I don't recall what the manual says, but I know it's more than that... The more you 'bake' the fluid, the sooner it should be changed.

You could also consider going to synthetic fluid which will handle the higher temps better.

On Edit - the code for the tranny temp is...
TXD = C410F1221674
RXF = 046205160674
RXD = 3010
MTH = 000100080000

 

It is impossible to read temperature inside the torque converter.

The SCII reads to transmission fluid temp (TFT) sensor which is located on the solenoid body.

 

Mark,
Would you agree that 220 is a safe temp to run at the solenoid body? If not what do you recommend as the maximum safe operating temp?

 

Anywhere between 60°F and 100°F over ambient is normal.

220°F is pretty much the maximum sustained temp you can run. If you run over 220°F for more than, say, a half and hour you may want to pull over, let the engine high idle to cool the tranny down. (Don't shut off your truck with a overly hot tranny)

 

My ScanGaugeII seems to read almost exactly the same as my ISOPRO analog gauge in the test port... Never more than a few degrees off...

 

MarkMoore,
Thanks for the codes. I pulled about 170 miles today from central MN to southeast MN. For the most part I was running about 200 degrees. I did run in to a couple of 1/4 to 1/2 mile hills where I hit 210. The outside temp was 85. I was kind of surprised that the temp ran this high only towing a 6,500 lb TT. I wonder how hit it would have run in in mountains with temps in the upper 80's.
One more question. Will the tranny run cooler with the OD turned off and running 3200 rpms, or in OD and running 2,400 rpms. It almost seemed to run cooler with the OD turned off.

 

It will run cooler with the OD off. The transmission is doing less work, but the engine is doing more work.

Yep, that's exactly right.

 

Ok - so I goofed. It had been along day.. I knew you'd chime in with the correct answer. Thanks.

Which is easy to do in my neck of woods when the temps hit 111*

 

When towing this summer through the mountains of Va. I saw a max temp of 202F in OD and when locking out OD the trans temp dropped to 197F, also noticed that the trans temp tracked pretty close to water temp. The Scan Gauge II is a great tool for monitoring vitals.

 

Do you have the SGII monitoring water temp? Mine always shows -40 with the built in *fWT, and I can't find an extended power stroke X-Gauge setting for water or coolant... Maybe my 2000 just doesn't have a coolant temp sensor? Or it's broken? Or you have a V-10, and it has it, but the diesel doesn't?

 

Good information given in this thread so far...

I'll just chime in with my experiences on my Ex towing my 9000# TT thru the rockies...

I have an Aeroforce Tech digital gauge on my Ex





Since installing this gauge I have monitored my temperatures very closely while towing. What I have found is that on my V10 I get a loud ROAR and for the longest time I couldn't figure out what it was. But since getting this gauge I can monitor trans and engine coolant temps (along with a lot more)...but at precisely 208°F on the engine coolant temp the fan kicks into TURBO mode and it is VERY VERY loud. It remains in this high velocity mode until the engine coolant temp returns to 198°F. It will stay at a lower velocity until the 208° mark is reached again and cycle thru this high velocity very loud mode as often as needed.

I'm told that there is a viscous fluid that is temperature dependant in the fan clutch (I haven't researched it much though)...all I know is the first time I heard the roar...I was like WTF...now that I have the digital readout...it is apparent it is simply the cooling system on my V10...

What that does do is keep your engine temps at bay which also helps to keep your trans temps at bay...having sufficient cooling capacity for your engine is critical to maintaining proper trans temperatures too...

When I towed thru the Rockies last summer as well as too many 8000' peaks in New Mexico and Utah to recount...the outside temperatures were well over 90 and in many cases over 100 while I towed and asked my Ex to roll down the road at 17,000#'s combined...

What I found was that the trans temps were very steady at about 200 degrees and climbed slightly to maybe 202 or 203 as the engine temps climbed to that magical 208...but once that fan kicked in and cooled the engine back to 198...the trans temps also returned to 200 or slightly under...I notice a very consistent ~100 degrees on the trans ABOVE outside ambient temperature when towing...

I watched this small cyclical deviation in temps for countless miles so I was comfortable with the cooling capacity of the V10 Ex.

Now the ONLY time I saw any trans temps over those was when I was climbing Vail Pass (~10,600') and Loveland Pass (~11,200')...those passes are not your 'normal' passes...during those climbs I saw a high trans temp of 213 degrees for maybe the last mile of the climb. The comforting thing for me was that the rise in trans temp was very slow and deliberate and not fast and spiky...so I was not alarmed at all...I knew as soon as I crested the pass the temps would fall quickly and they did...returning once again to that ~200 degree mark...

So I am confident in the cooling capacity Ford put inside the V10...I think I have tested it under some pretty harsh conditions too!

That engine cooling fan is awesome at increasing air flow to the engine and radiator...and having a digital gauge to watch what is actually going on is also key to safe guarding your equipment...

The factory gauge will move...but not until 220 degrees. Someone posted this a while back after they calibrated the transducer Ford used for the trans temp gauge...if seems they could have made the gauge move at a slightly lower temperature but perhaps Mark K can comment as to why they chose such a high set point...I'm sure it has to do with not giving false alarms to the general uneducated public...but for those of us looking for real data and real time feedback...I would like to see that gauge move more in the 210 range personally just to let you know things are beginning to warm up...if you notice in my pictures above...I used a white grease pencil to mark the 'normal' spot on my gauges so at the glance of my eye I can tell if something has moved off of nominal...



Hope this helps a little...

Joe.

 

That is correct.

I've towed over those passes many, many times.

That's exactly why. If the gauge moves from the normal position people bring it in for service. So Ford made it so it won't move unless something is wrong.

 

Gotta spread more love first because I'm still in rep prison Joe, otherwise I'd rep you for that post.

Good stuff buddy. Never knew about the viscous, temp dependant fluid in the fan clutch.

Reps when I can bro.

Stewart

 

Yes I monitor water temp with my SGII as the 4 gauges that I have displaying most of the time is Trans Fluid Temp, Water Temp, Cylinder Head Temp and Volts. The standard gauges in these trucks are about useless in warning you of a potential problem before it's a problem as far as I'm concerned.
Not sure if your truck has a water temp sensor that feed's data to computer or not, but you might be able to contact the makers of the SCII and ask them the question, they are pretty good about responding back.