ATF temp

[Tezza222z Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tezza222z]

Anybody with a scan guage that is reading ATF temps, could you please tell me the operating temp of your car during city driving. What is the highest temp that you have seen????
Thanks
Terry

[pinko351 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pinko351]

Tezza
Here's the temps I've noted over the past week:

City 60-91, average 75 using sports mode to keep the revs up and hence the convertor locked (>2500rpm) - which results in lower temps,

Towing 86, did see 101 but quickly taped it into sports mode and the temp dropped to 90.

[Tezza222z Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tezza222z]

Thanks for the info Pinko. Mine is similar but it does get up over 95 in town in D mode. But.... you have an oil cooler. I have been debating fitting one before towing the van too far. I am off on a 120 K trip next week with the van so I will see how it performs then and if necessary fit a cooler when I get home after Xmas.
Cheers
Tezza

[pinko351 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pinko351]

Tezza,

If you haven't already read the owners manual WRT towing with an auto, I suggest you do. It explains better then I can the relationship between convertor locking point, gear selection and auto temp.

WRT to the cooler, for my mind don't delay fitting one! I've never heard of anyone hurting their box due to it running too cold!!

[Chalkie Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chalkie]

Pinko
Is there any particular brand/type of cooler you would recomend ??
Chalkie

[pinko351 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pinko351]

Chalkie

My advise would be to steer clear of the old style coolers. Their the ones that are made up of a length of tube joined by flimsy alloy fins. Cheap to make and cheap to buy!

The newer styles pass the oil through the fins increasing the surface area and therefore the cooling ability. As a bonus they are stronger and more resistant to damage. I think mine is made by PWR or maybe B&M. Type "PWR transmission cooler" into eBay and you will find heaps to chose from.

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

Pinko, did you install the unit yourself and if so how hard was it to install?

[pinko351 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pinko351]

Did it myself, The hardest part was fabricating the mounts. Its fitted on the passenger side front of the radiator,inter-cooler and condenser. Once fitted I interrupted the trans lines to the radiator and plumbed it up. I also have a thermo fan fitted to help with air flow at low speeds.

[Ages Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ages]

That sounds pretty good. Did u happen to get any happy snaps of that?

[pinko351 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pinko351]

Sorry had a go at following the instructions on posting photos and had a massive fail. Very disappointing!

[Tezza222z Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tezza222z]

I only tow in S mode and have just done a few hundred K's with the van on the back. No problems with over heating according to the Scan guage. But I do have a problem keeping the revs over 2500 RPM as I do not like to travel that fast. I have read many times on this forum that the torque converter locks up over 2500 RPM, where did this figure come from?? Is this fact or fiction??
Also with relationship to fitting an ATF cooler I have read on the web sites of the oil manufacturers that running with the oil temp too low is not good for the transmission as it does not allow the oil to reach optimum operating temp quickly enough.

[pinko351 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pinko351]

Tezza

I will confess to stating the need to keep the RPM above 2500 in this very thread and others. I did look for my original reference but couldn't find where I read it. Since upgrading my Scangauge, (now have transmission temp) I now find that I need to keep the rev's between 2100 - 2500 to keep the temp around the 90 mark. For my mind anyone towing would be crazy not to fit a scangauge if only for the ability to monitor auto temp. As for fluid temp, the scangauge also shows that the auto quickly gets to 60 from cold and then remains round the 70 - 90 mark depending on driving conditions. I'm no oil expert but my mechanical background leads me to believe I'm not causing any damage with these temps.

Cheers

[Tezza222z Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tezza222z]

Thanks for the info Pinko. I share your enthusiasm re the Scanguage and I find that I drive with one eye on the ATF temp most of the time particularly when I am towing. Most of my driving is in country areas and the ATF temp stays within the 70 to 90 range but whenever I hit the city it goes up to the high 90's. I have considered a cooler but the more I read about the pros and cons the more I resist. I think I will not install one but I will change the fluid at 40 000 K's. I would like to find out more about the torque converter lock up and exactly what revs it cuts in at. Any body know??????????
Cheers
Tezza

[pinko351 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pinko351]

I've finally worked out photo's. So for those interested this is how it looks.

You can't see the mounts clearly but you should get to idea.

[Strider Member Find all posts View Profile Close Strider]

Hi Pinko, any chance on running us through the install process? A couple of questions I have is 1. Did you put it before or after the radiator in the oil flow direction? 2 How did you top up the transmission fluid? I believe the 150 s are a sealed auto???

Cheers
Alan