few poeple have told me differnet things, I have been told that tranny temp should be as low as 140, and iv also been told it should be at 180 because at too cold temps it dosnt get into all the passages in the tranny.

I couldnt find any details about the temperature on the FSM, and i would like to know where i can find the official temperature the transmission on a auto 4th gen should be. Or maybe you guys can share ur gauge reading n compare mine. My gauge is most of the time between 150-165, highest iv seen was 180 degrees(when i go WOT or hard acceleration). I have a B&M cooler 70255, and mobil 1 atf. lately iv been getting a lag between the 2-3 shift and i wanna kno if it might be the fluid's temp.

 

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mine used to get as high as 180 only when i was really driving hard, usually it would be around 120-130, as indicated by my autometer gauge. these were in the spring-summer times. in cold weather the temp would rarely go above 130. also, on the highway, the temp wouldnt even register (below 120), but when i would get off it, at hould shoot up to 140 or so.
i have VB stage 2 and a B&M cooler for 16000lb.

 

and where is the gauges sending unit connected to? mine is right after the stock cooler, so between the radiator and the B&M.

 

You want the sending unit reading where the tranmission fluid is hottest, either in a diagnostic port on the transmission case itself or in the outlet line going to the cooler. 180 F is considered optimal for most ATF's. The general range is between 150 F and 195 F...any lower or higher then you'll have problems. Stop-and-Go traffic is where you'll see the highest fluid temperature as idling and frequent shifting are what heats up the fluid.

 

Thanx thats the info i wanted to know. How much more cooler do you think the fluid would be after the outlet of the radiator?

I guess ill have to relocate the sending unit, to the outlet of the tranny before the radiator.

 

i run the cooler without the radiator, straight to/from the tranny. my sensor is in the tranny's pan.

 

AutoMeter makes sending unit blocks that you can install inline, just make sure you route it away from other sources of heat nad that you ground the block. How much cooler the fluid would be after the radiator? Hard to say really as the radiator acts more like a temperature regulator than just a cooler. Engine coolant will keep the transmission fluid at whatever temperature it is before it goes to the auxillary cooler. Only thing I could suggest if you want to know how well your fluid coolers are working is to get everything warmed up, park the car leaving the engine running, and use either a K-type thermocouple or IR thermometer on the line running back to the transmission. Add about 20 F to get a close approximation of the actual fluid temp.

 

where did yall get tranny temp gauges? i want one...i want to monitor it.
i've got a cooler but i can't tell if its making a difference or what. either way i want to monitor this ttype of thing.

 

This is the gauge I use.

http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugede...earch&gid=3108

 

thanks, is it fairly simple to hook up?

 

yes it is. comes with basic instructions or u can find them on the site.

 

On my application it was very simple. Mainly because I was able to use a factory diagnostic port rather than having to tie into a line using a block. For a Maxima...I don't know. Depends on your level of skill. I don't have a problem drilling and tapping a hole in a transmission case. I've done it for temp. senders as well as wiring for OD switches on cars using manual valvebodies. You might be better off buying a block and fittings so you can fit the sender on a fluid line. It's only 1 wire to the sender from the gauge and then a wire to power the gauge from a fused 12V source. If you are looking into getting more gauges in the future such a fuel pressure or oil pressure then it's better to go ahead and do them all at once. Easier to run common line sources that way and really simplify wiring. I have fuel pressure (electronic), boost (mechanical), and trans temp. (electronic) gauges and use a common ground wire and two power wires (lights, senders) and two flip switches to turn them on an off rather than using a keyed source.

 

Thanks for the info, yeah I want to add more gauges so I guess ill hold off for now.
I'm just always wondering about the status of my tranny, engine, all that stuff.

 

Just check the fluid. Should be a clear, bright red. As it ages (oxidizes) it will turn brownish. Good rule of thumb is to replace the fluid every 30,000 miles if using dyno ATF's reguardless of what the service manual states. ATF contains friction modifiers and those modifiers get used up. Once they are used up the fluid is no longer doing it's job.

 

You guys got pictures of your gauge setup?