Trans Temp too cold?

[david85]

Looking for some opinions here. I rebuilt the E4OD transmission a couple years ago and it's been working fine. At the time, I installed a large transmission cooler and bypassed the rad cooler completely. The failure that brought about the overhaul was an internal assembly error leading to line pressure loss. Overheating was not the root cause.

I've been wheeling the truck on logging roads for a couple years now and figured it was a good idea to have a trans temp gauge for some of those slow, sustained climbs.

The temp sensor is on the cooler line just before it enters the cooler (Autometer Gauge Kit). I sometimes see temps climb to 180F after a 1 hour climb, but for normal driving it rarely touches 130F. On the way home last night, outside temps were around 32F and the trans held around 100F while cruising at 55 MPH. I'm not sure if this will cause physical harm to the transmission but this is probably costing some MPGs from thicker oil.

I'm thinking of adding a thermostatic oil cooler bypass to bring the transmission temperature to a steady 170F.

What do you folks think?

 

[u2slow]

Imho, ATF isn't thick enough to worry about pumping losses.

 

[Rdnck84_03]

I wouldn't get too worried about the temps being low. After I put the 6.0 cooler in my wife's superduty it was running around 90 -100 degrees on the highway when it's below freezing. It has been fine running like that for about 6years now. Can get temps up around 175 on a decent climb when loaded with ambient temps at 100+.

I don't remember if the trans temps went up any after I replaced the thermostat towards the end of last winter because the heater wouldn't get warm either.

James

 

[franklin2]

The instructions on all the trans coolers I have installed, all say to hook the cooler in series with the factory transmission oil cooler in the radiator. More for extra cooling rather than being too cold is what I have been told. That is telling me 180 is not too hot, 200 is probably not too hot since the radiator will be running around there with the factory thermostat Anything above that the factory cooler will be ridding heat from the trans fluid.

I would follow the instructions.

 

[trackspeeder]

Run it the way it is. The temps are fine.

 

[Greenie]

Engines should be running close to the boiling point so water in air and fuel is vaporized but an automatic transmission is sealed. I've always preferred an over-cooled transmission - currently mine runs about 100F above the air temperature.

 

[Cant Write]

Does the E4OD prevent 4th gear or lockup until it reaches a certain temp?

I feel like I read that somewhere, and I feel like last winter I noticed it would hold 3rd a LOT longer. But my mind likes to play tricks on me

 

[Greenie]

Does the E4OD prevent 4th gear or lockup until it reaches a certain temp?

I feel like I read that somewhere, and I feel like last winter I noticed it would hold 3rd a LOT longer. But my mind likes to play tricks on me

I never noticed any operational differences. There is a temperature sensor in the transmission but maybe it's set for stone cold operation.

 

[Rdnck84_03]

Does the E4OD prevent 4th gear or lockup until it reaches a certain temp?

I feel like I read that somewhere, and I feel like last winter I noticed it would hold 3rd a LOT longer. But my mind likes to play tricks on me

I have noticed on the 4r100 that it shifts late and a little hard until the trans temp gets up to around 65 degrees, anything above that works fine. I would guess the e4od works similar.

James

 

[david85]

Normally TC lockup is disabled below 100F. I recently had to drop this setting because the converter would never lockup at all.

 

[Cant Write]

@david85 how did you “drop” the setting?

 

[david85]

@david85 how did you “drop” the setting?

My truck didn't originally come with an E4OD, so I'm running an aftermarket controller. The temperature permissive for TC lockup is adjustable using the tuning software.

 

[XOLATEM]

I'm thinking of adding a thermostatic oil cooler bypass to bring the transmission temperature to a steady 170F.

What do you folks think?

Well...I am really tempted to offer an opinion on all of this...but first I want to know if you guys really want to know what I might have to say on this topic...

You know what 'they' say about opinions.......in addition to other things...everybody's got one...

When it comes to transmissions....I have very definite ideas about things...and it is probably the main reason that I quit...

Because,,,,

I treated it more like a craft...not just a job...

I do have to say...each one of you that gave advice has some solid reasoning...it is nice to chew the fat with like-minded people...

 

[XOLATEM]

https://www.powerstroke.org/attachments/trans-life-expectancy-jpg.34996/

Could not help myself....this is relative but does not tell the whole story...

Kind of over-simplified...actually

 

[david85]

Well...I am really tempted to offer an opinion on all of this...but first I want to know if you guys really want to know what I might have to say on this topic...

You know what 'they' say about opinions.......in addition to other things...everybody's got one...

When it comes to transmissions....I have very definite ideas about things...and it is probably the main reason that I quit...

Because,,,,

I treated it more like a craft...not just a job...

I do have to say...each one of you that gave advice has some solid reasoning...it is nice to chew the fat with like-minded people...

That's exactly why I'm asking. I've seen plenty of charts that show an inverse life expectancy/temperature curve for automatic transmissions. But I've rarely seen anything that shows performance data for temperatures below 170F.

If you used to build them for a living, I'm very interested in your view.