2018 ford F150 with 5.0L and 10sp is HOT

[Escrub]

I have a 2018 F150 super crew with the 10sp 3.55 gears and the heavy trailer tow package. I am towing a Grey Wolf 27dbs, I am way under GCWR. When towing up moderate (4-5% grades) at 50-60mph no headwind, and 40-50 degrees F for a few miles the Trans will get as high as 224 degrees. The coolant and trans temp gauges on the dash. Their needles never move past the center of the gauge. Also the cooling fans never come on. I know that the new engines and transmissions run hotter than in the old days, but boy that seems hot. When I ask the ford service dept, their response "if there isn't a light coming on then everything is fine." These new transmissions don't even have a dipstick to check the fluid. We just got thiwbsetuo a few months ago. Looking for input from anyone with 10sp experience or knowlege

[bikendan]

sounds like you have the basic factory tow package, which probably doesn't have the aux trans cooler.

[TheGerman]

We're 18 years into the 21st century so last millennium wisdom about transmission temperatures does not apply to modern 8/9/10 speed designs. No personal experience with the Ford/GM 10 speed but the 8 speed transmissions that RAM uses run typically 190ish under light load and reach over 220F towing up a grade. The alarm goes off at 275F in the RAM so there's plenty of headroom.

[katkt]

My 2010, is similars to yours. My temp gauge hardly moved off of where it usually sits when warmed up to normal operating temp, the whole trip out west and back this summer. I have the same type of tow package as you. Not the Max Tow, but just under it. Same 3.55 gear ratio, 5.4 motor, but only a 6 speed tranny. Tranny cooler etc that comes with the trailer tow package.
Did you use the tow/haul mode? Did you ever use the manual shift options(I'm assumming your 10 speed has a manual or auto select), or just leave the tranny in auto.

[JimMorrell]

I have a 2011 F 150, 4 wd, 5.0 L super cab with tow package. My trans never exceeds the mid-point on the gauge, and I travel the Sierra all the time, often in 100 + weather. Either something's wrong with the trans, or your gauge is wrong.

[NJKris]

But he said

Their needles never move past the center of the gauge.

. And you just said the same thing. ????

[acadianbob]

Those aren't "real" gauges that you are looking at. They are "managed" to stay in the middle to keep uninformed drivers from panic when the temperature goes up. They will move when temperatures get critical. But, by then, it is generally too late to head off an over-heating condition. Best is to find a way to digitally monitor your temps.

[rlh1957]

Always use the Tow/Haul mode when towing anything. No matter how well you think the truck runs without it.
Transmissions and engines of this century are way beyond what we grew up on.

[katkt]

Originally Posted by acadianbob

Those aren't "real" gauges that you are looking at. They are "managed" to stay in the middle to keep uninformed drivers from panic when the temperature goes up. They will move when temperatures get critical. But, by then, it is generally too late to head off an over-heating condition. Best is to find a way to digitally monitor your temps.

I'll disagree. Mine would show an increase of maybe 10 or 15 degrees when working hard, but would quickly return to its happy spot. It never got close to anything that looked serious. I even took my little plug in OBD2 along, just to monitor the temps if it looked like it was going up.

I do have those style of "whoops it's to late" on another vehicle though.

[clarkbre]

224 for short periods does not seem extreme. My '11 would see up to about 218 pulling long, constant hills.

When climbing, don't be afraid to lock out a gear or two and let the engine rev. The higher revs in the engine will allow the transmission to be in a lower gear and have more torque.

[Epat]

my F150 with 5.0L has the 3.73 rear end that is needed for max towing.

[tosh99]

I tow with a 5.0L Chevy Express cargo van and four speed automatic trans.



I had my friend who owned a transmission shop (now retired) install a Summit Racing deep sump finned aluminum trans pan, auxiliary trans cooler and a temp gauge. It increases the amount of fluid in the trans.



Towing the trailer in the peak of summer here on the west coast deserts and on some of the steepest grades around, the trans never gets past 190 degrees. More importantly, when the stress of the grades are over, it cools down rather quickly.


Having owned Fords and Chevys before, I do remember that older Fords usually ran cooler than the Chevys.

[HangDiver]

No such thing as an auxilary trans cooler on 2018 non-Raptor F-150s. The 53A (tow package) and 53C (max tow) have higher capacity radiators for 2018. The 53B doesn't have the higher capacity radiator but includes a nicer hitch.

Check to see what tow package (window sticker) your truck has. While towing up hill, 224 degrees is normal trans temp.

[HangDiver]

Should have added to the above that a liquid heat exchanger has been added to the 10spd transmissions for 2018.

[brannon]

220oF all day long ok. 230oF up to 30 minutes. Post #7 on following link has info from a Ford engineer.
https://www.f150forum.com/f2/anyone-...towing-423720/

[RACarvalho]

At OP:
Yes, depending on your speed and terrain, it will go to 224F but if you manually block 9th and 10th gear, it will run at 195F.
Since you have a 3.55, you may try to block the 8th too.
Also check your speed, sometimes 2mph less will avoid that it shifts into 9th.
When it downshifts, it always do it two gears at time, so if you are in 9th, it will go to 7th and then 5th and there RPMs will go close to 4000 to shift back to 6th, etc.
I found that if you run in 8th, it will down shift to 6th and 6th is enough to keep speed in almost all inclines so running in 8th the transmission will shift way less than if you let it do "its thing"... and therefore will run at a lower temperature
Apparently the adaptation should learn that but I think it is still too dumb for that ...
Mine has the 3.73 dif. so you may have the same results one gear lower (?).
On the speed thing, I found that for my set up if I ride at 62mph (instead of 65mph) it will downshift to 7th (from 9th) right at the start of an incline and stay there if it is not a too steep hill so it works almost like manual downshifting before the hill, just perfect. So for 3.73 if I ride faster i block 9th and 10th but if I ride at 62mph I let it do its thing....
What is the fuel consumption you are getting?

[kamper00]

Humm...now I am wondering if there is a way to monitor trany temps on my 2006 6 speed...maybe tap into the line on the output of the transmission with a sensor? but I would have no idea what would be a "normal" range for a manual transmission...

[lamokadave]

Originally Posted by kamper00

Humm...now I am wondering if there is a way to monitor trany temps on my 2006 6 speed...maybe tap into the line on the output of the transmission with a sensor? but I would have no idea what would be a "normal" range for a manual transmission...

Look into a Scan Gauge for compatibility for your truck. It very likely is compatible. Plug into your OBD and you'll be amazed at what you can see.

[lamokadave]

Originally Posted by Escrub

I have a 2018 F150 super crew with the 10sp 3.55 gears and the heavy trailer tow package. I am towing a Grey Wolf 27dbs, I am way under GCWR. When towing up moderate (4-5% grades) at 50-60mph no headwind, and 40-50 degrees F for a few miles the Trans will get as high as 224 degrees. The coolant and trans temp gauges on the dash. Their needles never move past the center of the gauge. Also the cooling fans never come on. I know that the new engines and transmissions run hotter than in the old days, but boy that seems hot. When I ask the ford service dept, their response "if there isn't a light coming on then everything is fine." These new transmissions don't even have a dipstick to check the fluid. We just got thiwbsetuo a few months ago. Looking for input from anyone with 10sp experience or knowlege

From my experience pulling a 4k# single axle with a 2017 f150 SCREW Max tow 3.5 Eco Boost, your tranny is running hot.
I have a Scan Gauge constantly set to monitor engine temp, tranny temp, turbo boost and battery voltage. Even pulling 5-7% grades for 12+ miles in AZ, tranny never goes north of 205. I always use tow/haul, and typically lock out 9 and 10. Depending on terrain ie frequent rolling hills), I might lock out 8 just to avoid the 2 gear downshift it does. I make that decision watching the turbo boost. Once boost climbs above 13, I know the tranny will downshift. Sometimes I'll do a manual 1 gear downshift just to avoid the tranny doing its thing using climbing turbo boost as my trigger.
Engine temps run between 215 and 225.
As expected my highest avg tranny temps occur with low spd, around town towing, or when backing into a camp site. Then I'll see like 202.
I've compared the truck tranny temp reading with the Scan Gauge and they're always within 1d.