I'm seriously thinking of placing an order for the Gryphon soon and was wondering how useful the readout is. I'm not much of a gadget guy but I was figuring since I'll be towing about 4500#, with the added towing capabilities of a tow tune, it may good to keep an eye on the transmission temperature. Anything else useful to monitor when towing?

 

YUP! I monitor the CHT, since that's what's really measured, not the ECT - the temperature gauge in the truck is a joke and I want to know how hot the engine really is. I also monitor the TFT, and, since my trailer has two batteries in addition to a refrigerator that runs on DC power when we're on the road, I monitor the Voltage. Again, I want a digital readout of the health of the charging system with all that load on it.

- Jack

 

Ditto what Jack said. I monitor the coolant temp, tranny temp and voltage plus I use the digital speedometer. My steering wheel block my vision of the truck speedo. I would hate to go without the monitor.

 

It's interesting how much the trans temp varies. I've pull a utility trailer that I'll load up to 4500#. I was using last weekend to pull four loads of compost home. When I was moving around the yard backing it into position to unload it, I noticed the temp get up to 170.

There is also a COM GEAR which I've been watching lately, it shows when your torque converter is locked, and when it shifts out of OD. I would think that would be nice to know when towing. Watching it you can learn to recognize what your trans is doing.

 

The Comm Gear readout is the fourth thing I monitor. Sometimes, the TC unlock/lock is fairly subtle, and yes, it tells me exactly what my transmission is doing.

Try the long pull up over Monarch Pass in the Rockies to see a nice climb in transmission temperature. For that, I tend to lock the transmission in 2nd, but, since I like to maintain the legal speed, I've seen it a bit over 200 degrees. With that demand, the TC does not lock. Still, I'm passing all the RVs and semi's.

- Jack

 

Now that sounds like fun. My son is moving out to San Diago, and he's thinking renting a U-haul, with his car towed behind. I'm thinking I would enjoy moving him in a trailer pulled behind my truck, just to make the trip. I would enjoy that.

 

Thanks,

Sounds like it provides much useful information. So what's CHT and ECT? What would you consider over temperature reading for the engine cooling and transmission fluid? I would think that when towing over mountain passes both would rise but eventually stabilize...

 

CHT is coolant head temp
ECT is engine coolant temp

The CHT runs about 10* hotter than the ECT. They both are stabilized by the thermostat and an effective cooling system. If that temp goes up, something is wrong with the system.

Heat shortens the life of your transmission fluid. The hotter it gets, the faster it breaks down and the shorter its useful life. The harder you work the trans, the hotter the fluid gets, and the lessor the trans is exposed to moving air, the hotter the fluid gets.

 

Here's a link to a post I made on this subject on PHP's forum: http://dygytalworld.ehost-services13...91&postcount=2

I've set alarms on the Gryphon about 10 degrees above the maxes I've recorded under hard driving so I'll know to get nervous.

- Jack

 

That is some fine research you've done there. I would think we would want to set the alarms at the maxes you've recorded so we know when to start monitoring it.

What happens when an alarm goes off???

 

Anyone with an 08 or newer get the EOT (engine oil temp, is that the correct title?) to read out? I cant on mine?

 

That sensor was eliminated by Ford.

 

Bluejay's right on this! Does it make sense to any of us that drive the things?

Bluejay and I grew up in an era where you HAD to know what was happening in our engines, you couldn't depend on "big brother" to take care of you and think for you.

Of course, engines WERE simpler then. You could actually fix some of the breakdowns you'd have on the road (without calling AAA). Now, half the people driving can't even change a tire.

Back to Greencrew's question: the alarm causes the Gryphon/Edge to start "ticking" - not too loud, but it gets your attention, and the screen flashes red in time with the ticking (about 2 ticks per second) and it shows the parameter that is over the limit you've set.

I wouldn't set it at the maxes I've seen, I consider them normal for stressful driving. And, if you set the alarms too low, it becomes annoying. I decided I wanted to know if there was a sudden deviation way above norm, that I didn't pick up on. Maybe, I could then pull over and reduce the load before I cooked something.

I've even set an alarm at 85 mph, because I know they start giving tickets at 11 mph over the speed limit and I don't need to give any more money to the State.

- Jack

 

Now there's an idea I can try. Thanks.

 

I think Jack did a great job!
Those gauges are my new best friend. With exception of rpms, no dampening constantly bouncing +- 30 either way. So I just rely on the needle in the dash.