bcbigfoot wrote:
RLS7201 wrote:
bcbigfoot wrote:
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Make up a MECHANICAL CAPILLARY TUBE GAUGE. Interrupt the outgoing fluid from the transmission on it's way to the cooler. Use a threaded brass block with a "T" suitable for the gauge bulb. Double flared fittings on the tyranny line. Wrap the line from the transmission with fiberglass mat just like they use on body repairs. Four wraps. Then fiberglass resin.
This reads fluid temp as the transmission sees it. No other manner of reading transmission fluid temperature is valid.
Now for a question:
I use MoPar synthetic fluid in the toad because I have to. If Mercon or Dexron synthetic fluid is available, does it have a good enough user reputation to offer high temperature lubricity and resistance to breakdown? The stuff isn't cheap. MoPar claims life of transmission usability. Har Har. I have changed it twice in 90,000 miles.
But the longest lasting fluid operates at less than 100F. Use that as a sense of perspective. Engine oil on the other hand has both minimum and maximum limits because of combustion contamination boil-off and thermal clearances. I want to fit a tranny cooler to the toad. And a big pusher fan in front of the AC condenser.
My bus uses 50 weight oil in the Fuller assembles. I chose Lubrication Engineers because of extended lifespan.
Sorry Mex but that is completely wrong, Getting your temp. from the location you mention only tells you torque converter temp., not trans. temp or what the transmission temps is, clutches, seals, bearings, even the oil only sees those temps. momentarily until it hits the cooler them cools down and re-enters the trans pan. It is possible to have 300f oil temps coming from that location and the rest of the trans. is -20f, think stuck in a snow bank.
Whats important is to know the oil temp the trans. is picking up from the pan, you want to know your coolers are doing there job and getting the oil temps down so they aren't hurting the trans.. Oil coming out of the trans. going to the coolers is going to have wild swings in temp. , unusable info for real world. What you want is usable numbers, so you can compare with other people and compare your temps in the future for anomalies and long term trends.
Wrong! Transmission fluid life is based on the maximum temperature the fluid reaches. And that would be exactly as stated by Mex.
Richard
Really I guess you know something that hundreds of equipment, truck automotive, manufactures don't know. Since they put their temp. sensors in the pan or trans. case. As a heavy equipment mechanic I was trained that torque converter fluid exit temps. were pretty much useless in knowing unless looking for specific torque converter issues. I'm so disappointed in being wrong.
Looks like we come from two different schools of thought.
I was trained by the petroleum industry. You would think the manufactures of transmission fluid would know what conditions dedicate useful fluid life.
Here's GM take on the subject.
Here is a quote from the Orange ($8.95) GM manual:
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"OIL TEMPERATURE MEASURED AT CONVERTER OUTLET TO COOLER.
300F is the maximum temperature. (Workhorse says 350F). This is the normal place to install a temperature gauge or signal. The temperature in this location will vary significantly with each vehicle start-up or hill. If the temperature reaches 300F (350F), reduce throttle. To lower the transmission temperature with the transmission in NEUTRAL, run the engine at 1,200 RPM for 2-3 minutes to cool the oil. Do not allow the converter outlet temperature to exceed 300F (350F).
Keep a close check to prevent the engine cooling system from overheating.
300F would be typical of rocking the vehicle in mud, snow, or sand, or a transmission in stall (full throttle, no vehicle movement). When the transmission is in stall, the transmission will develop heat at a rate of one degree per second of stall.
OIL TEMPERATURES MEASURED IN THE SUMP
150F -- Minimum operating temperature for continuous operation. It is possible in low ambient temperature to overcool the transmission with oil to air-type coolers; it is hard to overcool if used in conjunction with oil to water coolers installed in most standard automotive radiators.
190F-200F -- Maximum oil level checking temperature. Beyond this, readings are not reliable because of expansion.
285F -- Maximum sump/oil pan temperatures for short duration such as a long hill climb.
300F -- Metal parts inside the transmission begin to warp and distort in varying degrees, seals melt rapidly, and transmission fluid life is extremely short due to oxidation and distress.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID OXIDATION Automatic transmission fluid
can provide up to 100,000 miles of service before oxidation occurs under normal operating temperatures of about 170F. Above normal operating temperatures, the oxidation rate doubles (useful life of the fluid is cut in half) with each 20 degree increase in temperature. The approximate life expectancy at various temperatures is a follows:
Degrees F Miles
175 100,000
195 50,000
212 25,000
235 12,000
255 6,000
275 3,000
295 1,500
315 750
335 325
375 80
390 40
415 Less than 30 minutes
Richard