thats a good idea f250 i think i might see about changing the location of the tranny temp sending unit!

 

thats a good idea f250 i think i light see about changing the tranny temp sending unit location! good call

 

ok so.if anyone else should ever consider these gauges for their IDI,or any sending units supplied with your gauges for that matter that are 1/8 pipe threads:

trans temp:
1. like noted in the pic @ that port.you;ll need nothing.the supplied sending unit screws right in. OR:
2.remove the line going into the radiator (it's the front line on the E40D.)make sure to use a catch pan.
once the hose is off,unscrew that hose barb fitting.
you'll need:
("watts" brand part #'s sold @ home depot)
a.#A-730 - holds your sending unit,and allows flow into radiator.
1/4" pipe T
b.A-741 - screws into radiator.
1/4 x 1 1/2" (you need this long one to clear the radiator,plus it helps to be able to lock vice grips onto it without hitting the threads.)
c.A-293 - screws into opposite side of T for your hose to connect back to.
3/8 Barb X 1/4 MIP
d.A-738 - screws into the top of the T for your sending unit to screw into.
1/4 MIP x 1/8 FIP

oil pressure:
1.A-738
1/4 MIP x 1/8 FIP
this adapts the stock hole for your supplied sending unit to screw into.

water temp
1.A-778
3/8 MIP X 1/4 FIP
2.A-738
1/4 MIP x 1/8 FIP
with a cool engine,drain approximately 1 gallon of coolant into a catch pan using the radiators petcock drian located on drivers side at the bottom.
use both of these combined to screw into the stock water temp sending unit hole (located on the left in the pic of Daves red engine above.you can remove it by pulling the wire off,and using a half inch drive ratchet,swivel and extension.this is a PITA to install.very tight spot.i suppose a few things should have come undone,though id take my time and just sneak a wrench in there again lol.you'll need a 9/16 and and an 11/16 both.spin the top and the bottom to achieve your spins with the wrenches.if you try it,you'll see lol.ideally a socket with a slot so the wire could stick out of it would have been cool.)
if you want to use the port on the right,you would also need to grab the next size up pipe bushing.

for details on wiring your gauges and everything else like that,seek the instructions that are supplied with the gauges.
there you have it.

although the instructions tell you not to use thread tape due to possible no ground.i thought about it lol,then wised up and used it before installing the water and trans temps.
i didn't bother putting any on the oil pressure sending unit though.

 

ok so im getting a steady reading of 20/21 oil pressure at idle now.and a good 35 at about 1500 rpms,and it goes up nicely when under a load from there.

trans temp readings went down by about 10 degree's reading just the fluid temp.
what's cool about this location is you can watch the fluid temp and in real time.your not getting readings from a hot trans case.so the temps go up and down much sooner.
im seeing a 155-160 going down the road.this means my cooler is working very nice at keeping the fluid cool,so it doesn't heat up much by the time it comes out and is ready to be cooled more.
it took a few minutes sitting at dunken donuts grabbing a cup of joe for the fluid to reach 170.i think it peaked at 175 or 180,then as i went down the road,it quickly went right back down to mid 150-160 again.so the external cooler really does a number at dropping them temps.

water temp readings went up to warmup at almost 230 degree's and i could tell the thermostat opened up likely sooner than i knew,but temps went back down to 220-225 or so and hung around there.i think my peak was 235 or so.

so the question still remains.where to set my warnings at?
im thinking:
trans temp peak: 200 degrees.
oil pressure low: 10 psi. surely 10 psi would be scary perhaps but wouldn't want it any lower at idle right? at what pressure reading would you say "that's it.shut her down asap and replace the oil pump before damage occurs?

water temp: at what temp is she about to start boiling over? 250-260?
and at what temp should i hear this huge airplane sound of the fan clutch engaging?

 

what trans cooler are you running, I still have the factory one thats tiny and probably doesnt even work, you think the $60 ones from napa are any good, and sorry I have no idea on what to set warning temperatures too

 

I have seen 9 psi oil pressure at idle when the truck is hot as heck after a long pull.

I think your clutch fan should be kicking in around 210... that's when I hear mine at least. Anything above 230 water temp would scare me into flushing the system and finding the problem. Pulling a 9 mile long 7% grade towing an RV my water temp NEVER got above 215 and it was in the 90's that day.

 

10 lbs per 1000 RPM is considered good to go ...

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

powerstroker100,
B&M SuperCooler Transmission Cooler #70268

it took me about a one hr trip (running empty) to finally peak max temp.

WarOzz,
ok cool.so now i know i have a problem thanks to a real gauge.
i'll do a flush and use 4 gals of fleetguard from napa and 4 gals of distilled water.
new motorcraft thermostat and a new radiator cap.
so now i know my fan clutch is shot too.i'll have to bump up my priority list of mods to dual electric fans (plan on using salvage yard fans from the 3.8l cars.)
so i should never see 230 degree temps then.ok thanks,i'll set my warning at 230.

just goes to show what the needle hitting "N" on "normal" (what she always run at,and sometimes higher) can stand for lmao.yikes!

WarOzz & Festus,
great thanks! i guess i'll set my low pressure warning @ 10 psi then.

 

isnt there a test for our fan clutches, I think all you do is grab the top of a blade and push down on it and try to wiggle the fan around and if theres play then its bad but dont take my word I was way off on the oil psi part lol just a thought, thanks for the link too

 

Clutch Fan Hub Test

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

F250 with the loads you are hauling are you sure you want to trust to electric fans? I have converted many of my rigs over the years to electric but never trusted them on any of the ones I tow or haul with. Just some food for thought.

 

yup.pretty sure.
i had her loaded up nicely today and now that i know im running around 230 degree temps without a fan engaged at all, in August and it didn't go any higher,iv no worries.thats peak by the way.it goes up to like 235 max and quickly goes back down to 218-222 steady.
it can only run cooler from here on out.

hopefully tomorrow after work if i finish early like planned,im heading to town for:
4 gallons of fleetguard.
4 gallons of distilled water.
new upper and lower radiator hoses.
new Motorcraft E5TZ-8575-C thermostat.
new 13 lb radiator cap.

i was just double checking this article:
Cavitation Article

and see with this coolant,i won't be able to use NAPA's SCA's.but fords will mix with it ok and not get sludge build up problems.DCA-4 i guess.

so since i don't have a clue if the po used a stock thermostat or low silicate fluid,the cap looks rusty,it's only rated at 7 lbs i see! (no good to help against cavitation,according that article) and who knows how old those hoses are-likely stock 17 yr old.
so this is all something i should have checked into sooner like i did everything else.
there's an interesting thread on OBN right now,where some are claiming that @ 40 mph,the fan becomes useless anyway too.
i see a stock fan clutch is $200 at AZ.i can convert to dual electrics from the salvage yard cheaper and run far cooler than i am right now with no fan lol.
so far the only people who seem concerned about using dual electric fans (the good ones from ford cars with the 3.8l engines) seems to only be the people who haven't tried them in my research thus far.
that stock fan spins slightly all the time,using hp and fuel i don't really want to give away.
the draw on the alt will only be when i hit temps i set the fan to turn on,and then no draw when it cools/going down the road.
yup.im trying 'em.

 

all looks good. there is two things i'll add. it's been proven that red lights/gauges are hard on your eyes if looked at for long time spans, why most newer vehicles have gone to blue, less eye strain. my Audi has all red lights/gauges in it , like probally 100 all told, and i hate red.

 

Well F250 make sure to keep us informed when you do the electric conversion. It's something I have a thought about a lot on my truck to save mileage and power but like I said I need my truck for towing. I was actually looking into these when I first got the truck but the max GVW at 18k worried me.

https://www.drivetrain.com/parts_cat...ster_ford.html

A guy could probably do it for half that price with junk yard fans and fabing up his own mounts and shroud. If I can make the electrics work as good as the clutch I might just go that route myself.

 

local NAPA doesn't carry test strips.
say's he never has anyone ask for them and never hears about cavitation problems with trucks.says its more of a CAT thing.
so anyway i had to order a whole box of like 20.they have an expiration date of July 2011.
i guess i'll check it often to get my $ worth lol.
they had fleet charge with SCA's added and low silicate.
got 4 gallons and 4 gallons of distilled water.
got a 13 lb rated cap.
upper and lower hoses.

went over to ford for a thermy.
40 freaking dollars for a thermostat.man i hate getting screwed like that.
didn't have it in stock either of course being so old.
so i can't flush it this weekend.i'll have to do it Monday.
didn't have time to hit any salvage yards for the e-fans yet.