Sensor is in the test port. I'm lost on what is giving me these headaches. Is it possible to have air pockets after fluid change like what can sometimes happen with radiators? Someone else suggested maybe a faulty gauge or sensor? Its a auto meter. Ever heard of this happening? Drives\shifts nice and smooth. Would never guess something might be wrong besides the added gauge needle rising. Driving tomorrow 1 hr all interstate to get camper. We will see how this goes. Wish me luck!

 

i have the exact same setup as you. you must have a bad ground or something. i would double check all your connections. my water temp guage did the something similar, it would read about 200 when i first started the truck and would just randomly move.

 

Don't they have some kind of live scan tool that plugs into OBD II port that could tell me actual temps? Where would I have to go to have this done? Gauge showed 195 at 70mph for the 1 hr trip there and 250 at same speed on way home with trailer. Fluid does not smell burnt and the tranny seems to be working flawlessly. I plan on pulling the gauge and checking the wiring again. Originally I had 1 power wire to turn gauge on, 1 wire from sender in test port, 1 wire to ground and then the two for the light. The gauge did not do anything hooked up like that. I reread directions and they stated that the gauge should automatically be grounded through the sender in tranny, so I removed the other ground and all seemed to be working. Is it possible that the gauge is grounded through the sender in test port but just not a good ground and screwing with the readings?

 

Here is my install for reference.
Sensor in the output line from the transmission toward the radiator, measuring the fluid temp right out of the converter where it is the highest temp.
This line goes to the radiator internal cooler.
From the internal cooler outlet to the external fan cooled cooler with it's own thermostat set to come on at about 190 and back to the transmission return port.
The aux fan does two things, adds cooling to the cooler at low road speeds and limits the engine bay temp after engine shutdown by air circulation.
The pan is 4" deep.
Normal running unloaded at cruise , temp averages 140 to 150° depending on out outide temp. If the outside temp is below 20° and running cruise, the fluid temp can be as low as 125.
If pulling a long hill and out of OD, the temp will climb to 180-190 again depending on out side temp. then cools back quickly in OD and lockup.
In highers summer temps, pulling about 12.000 gross and depending on hill length and steepness the temp out of the converter can reach as high as 240/250 and of course fall back quite fast after level off in pulling.
.
Sensing from the converter line shows true fluid temps in real time and not averages after the fact at other locations.
A trans case sample point will include the case temp that is a combination of fluid and engine block heat and would change slowly.
Sampling out of the pan shows temps after the fluid had dropped into the pan and averaged out.
The fluid is synthetic and can take temps well into the 260° range for short times without gross breakdown but should be changed often if taken to those extremes very often.
My gauge is electric.
In short I don't care for temp sample points anywhere but right out of the converter where you see the results near instantly.
The radiator cooler will not cool much below the cooling system as controlled by it's thermostat and can actually heat the fluid higher before exit. This adds heat gain to the cooling system as well so over sized radiator is good insurance as I also have.
An aux cooler depending on size and lines flow capactiy should drop the fluid temp about 40°.
The return line into the trans case does lubing and cooling of parts and picks up heat again before the fluid drops into the pan.
Assuming the electric gage is operating correctly, temps read at other sample points is a question until you have some time observing under various loading and ambient temp conditions.
Good luck.

 

Is there any other way to get tranny temps besides adding anoter gauge? I looked into the Edge Evolution since my brother has one on his 04 that reads tranny temps, but does not show that as an option for the 97-03 version. Could a dealership plug something into the obdII that gives live numbers?

 

I believe tranny temp is available using the XGauge function of a ScanGauge II.

 

So I drove my truck over to the father in laws tonight to drag my camper back home (long story). On the short drive over the gauge read 195-200 for the tranny temp. My father in law (mechanic by trade) has one of the digital temp readers that you just point at a surface and it reads temps. So he grabbed that and hit the tranny pan. It read 91 degrees. Now I am really starting to question the gauge. I drove home with the trailer and gauge in truck claimed 250 again. So then I crawled under the truck and aimed my father in laws sweet tool at the pan. It read 130. Aimed at the autometer gauges temp sender it read 140. I know there will be a difference from the fluid temp to the outside of the pan but a 100 degree plus difference seems a little far fetched. Not sure what oil temps should run but the digital temp reader claimed 190 after trip home. Any thoughts? Or better yet anyone else with a gauge and digital surface temp reader that could hit the pan and tell me what the difference they are getting.
I will have to research the Scangauge GLC mentioned. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

there is a way to use the odometer as a scan guage, it can display trans temp and engine temp, but i cant find the link on how to get it to work.

 

found it

http://www.nhtoc.com/vbforum/how-art...test-mode.html

 

Scanguage II with the newest codes claims to read tranny temps of Fords, well at lease according to the one I looked at on Ebay.

 

well it doesnt display trans temp

 

sum beach!

 

yeah, i thought it did too. what was the air temp when you were pulling the trailer? and how long was the drive? any hills?

 

The temps your shooting w/ the gun seem a lot more reasonable than your gauge. I know my truck is different than yours and I have yet to work it hard since I installed my gauge, but the highest I've seen is 140 cruising around town ...

 

Air temps were 50s. Drive there was only bout 15-20 min most of it at highway speeds when the gauge read 195ish. 30 min drive home some in town but mostly flat highways pulling trailer made gauge read 250.