is it a big ordeal to install one? will be towing a tt next week a few times a year.....not real far but alot of hills in the norteastern part of pa.......any thoughts would be great. thanks.

 

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=198633

 

if you have a trans cooler, the temp guage won't make much of a difference. If you are still going to overheat a cooled tranny, you're towing too much for the truck anyway (and could be causing damage to the engine, brakes and suspension)

 

Are you serious with that comment? A trans temp gauge is the #1 thing you can install to prevent transmission damage when towing. If you're towing up a long hill and the torque converter unlocks, you'll eventually over heat the transmission. The trans temp gauge is the only way you'll know if you're building too much heat or not. I used it to figure out the correct gear for long hills (2nd) and what speed for enough air to flow though the transmission cooler (50mph).

I wouldn't tow over big/long hills without one.

Follow the link above. Installing a gauge in our trucks is much easier than others.
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Mitch
'05 SuperCrew FX4
(tow '99 Mazda Miata on open trailer - 3500lbs)

 

if you're going to screw your tranny, you're in the wrong truck for the trailer you aree towing.

 

So my Ford manual says I can tow 8500lbs...but what you're saying is that I'm ruining my truck/trans by towing 3500lbs.

Thanks! That makes sense to me!

I guess we're all entitled to our opinions.
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Mitch
'05 SuperCrew FX4
Tow's much better than the 1998 STX (4.9L 2WD) did towing the same load.
We towed with it for 4+ years and never had a problem.

 

if you need a temp gauge so bad, maybe the manual is wrong. there is a big difference between 3500 and 8500 so that if youre overheating with 3500, then 8500 is obviously not what you can safely tow.

Does that make sense?

 

With my old F150 STX (4.6L 2WD) I never had trouble with over heating, but it got close (it wasn't the best truck for towing) But I never would have learned how to shift correctly to maintain the trans temprature without that trans temp gauge. It really taught me a lot about when the torque converter is unlocked and under what situations the transmission is creating a lot of heat.

I think our trucks can tow 3500-5000 lb loads just fine....except when it's 100+ degrees outside and you're on long, slow steep hills. With our new truck, I hardly know the Miata is back there, especially on bumpy roads.

I see the point you're trying to make. But I still think it's a good idea to have a gauge so you know how hot the transmission is getting. Heck, they only cost $50. I would rather spend $50 on a gauge to keep an eye on the transmission the few times a year that we tow, verses driving a 3/4 or 1 ton monster around town...just so I don't have to watch a little gauge.

Does that make sense?
--
Mitch
'05 SuperCrew FX4

 

I guess its like insurance. If you really want it for peace of mind, then go for it. You're not hurting anything by having it.

 

thanks guys..followed the mentioned thread and left a message at the end of it.....wondering if taking out the pressure sensor is a bad thing? and if there is an adapter for both to be hooked up? also, do you have to drain fluid to put in or just work fast......thanks.

 

FWIW, I pushed my tranny temps past 220 going up a very steep hill, lots of cut backs and no place to get to get going very fast so that I got some airflow going past my tranny cooler. Of course this was measured in the line right before going into the radiator. I was in a rush so I was hammering it pretty good and then having to slow way down.
oh yeah, I wasn't towing anything.
Jesse

 

You don't remove a "sensor" you remove a "plug". It looks like a little bolt. So you wouldn't want to hook up both of them.
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Mitch
'05 SuperCrew FX4

 

isn't the "plug"/bolt a "sensor"?

 

Nope, it's a plug. When the shop is working on a trans, they hook up pressure gauges. This is a place for a repair shop to hook their pressure gauge. Since you are not using a pressure gauge, you can put in a temp sender.
Chris

 

ohh! get it now....thanks. is there a certian manufacturer to use for the correct fitting? someone was having an issue with there plug being to long?