What's your trans temp at??

[Djsynystr]

ok long story short. burnt out my 94 explorers trans when i started towing my 3500lb or less trailer around. i wasn't using propper towing practices due to never towing and just being a plan ol' dumbass. ie: driving with od on, going 80+ mph, passing alot, no trans temp gauge, no extra trans cooler you know being a DUMBASS! so now onto my post. since then i have purcashed a 97 XLT awd for $1200 in excellent condition. i had to do some minor maintance shocks, oil change, etc. i also added a 3rd trans cooler, (already had a small factor add on one in front of rad) temp gauge, class 3 hitch as well as adding a welded drain plug in my trans pan when i did a filter/fluid change this weekend to make fluid only changes easier. def a good idea if you can weld it yourself or take it to a shop to weld for a few bucks. now that i have all my coolers and a gauge i am noticing my temps. its odd to me but maybe its because im not sure what numbers i should see but when i drive without towing anything in OD with slight stop and go with long go's i get temps of about 175ish. this weekend i towed for the first time with the gauge and all the coolers the 1st day it didn't even go over 130 degrees (lowest on my gauge) then the next day it hit maybe 135 140ish towing the same trailer. is this normal to have lower temps when towing with od off doing slight stop go with alot of go's rather than not towing in od with same driving conditions? should i just be concerned with it getting "too hot" or is this change in temps showing signs of something else? forgive me for being a "newbie" but i can't afford to replace another vehical for a little bit so i have to keep this one in good shape. thanks in advance, any insight would be great!

 

[btimm86]

I assume you have an autolite sensor, in that case it takes a longgg time to heat up. ateast mine does. before my cooler it would probably hit 180 for around my town driving, maybe 20 miles worth. With the cooler the temp stays under 160 for those distances. my buddy's heep saw 250 after a 1 hour interstate drive. ouch.. our crappy trannys would probably melt.

 

[Djsynystr]

well not sure on the brand of sensor or gauge it got it new on ebay but it didnt have any paperwork. i did terst it prior to install by using a known calibrated thermometer and compair the readinsg on both with hot water and as soon as i set the trans on in the water it began to raise to the 200 degree mark that i had the water at. i do know that the type of trans i have doesnt let fluid out until the temp inside reads a ceraint point from what i have read on this forum. i know everything is "working" right as far as temp and guages just not familiar with tow vs non towing temps and couldn't find anythign online with the info. thanks for your input. keep em coming!

 

[btimm86]

is your sensor reading from after the coolers (going back into tranny)? thats the top line on the main radiator/cooler.

edit > dont listen to this post

 

[Djsynystr]

no sir. its on the torque converter/trans line right before the rad. i'm def not a "newbie" when it comes to cars and working with my hands, welding **** like that. i just never blew a tranny before and I wanna make sure i don't blow this one thats what i meant by the "newbie" remark in my first post. thanks for the fast responses.

 

[Djsynystr]

wait a second. its on the top line on the back of the rad trans cooler but i was told that is the in from trans that it goes from trans to rad to factory add on then back to trans. i added a second cooler after the factory in series before it goes back to the trans. my sensor is on the top line on the rad which i believed was coming from the trans.

 

[btimm86]

no prob, lunch break hahah. I'm not a tranny expert by any means but i would only be concerned about high temperatures. I think you are correct and i was mistaken about the sensor location. I was thinking about where the cooler should go. My sensor is on the top line (tranny fluid in like u say) and my cooler is on the bottom line. Don't worry about blowing an explorer tranny, just learn to accept that it's going to happen. now i'm confused let me double check.

 

[Djsynystr]

lol yeah after that one i have read about them more. the other one was a 94 with prior trans issues that i didnt know about, they added some stop slip and it fixed it. plus i beat it more than i should have towing. hopfully i have learned and the steps i took help prevent that this time.