Transmission Temperature Chart

[Bama Rambler]

Those seem to be normal temps, even at 180ºF you're not hurting your unit unless you drove it for thousands of miles that way.

[Hipshot]

I just returned from Elkhart IN with a Rockwood 2604SS. TV is a 2008 Silverado 1500 4X4 LTZ 5.3 3.73 rear and towing package. On the trip to Elkhart trans temp was around 150-160 in drive 19 mpg. On the trip back towing the 2604SS at 60mph in drive cruise control on trans temp 180-190 and shifting on every hill, sometimes down to second gear at 4000 rpms, 8.5 mpg. After about 100 miles I shifted to third 2600 rpms, cruise control off at 60 mph trans temp 155-164 rarley shifted and 9 mpg.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by Hipshot

I just returned from Elkhart IN with a Rockwood 2604SS. TV is a 2008 Silverado 1500 4X4 LTZ 5.3 3.73 rear and towing package. On the trip to Elkhart trans temp was around 150-160 in drive 19 mpg. On the trip back towing the 2604SS at 60mph in drive cruise control on trans temp 180-190 and shifting on every hill, sometimes down to second gear at 4000 rpms, 8.5 mpg. After about 100 miles I shifted to third 2600 rpms, cruise control off at 60 mph trans temp 155-164 rarley shifted and 9 mpg.

I very seldom use cruise control while pulling my trailer. I get much better gas mileage by loosing a mile or 2 on the speedo going uphill then the cruise control keeping the speed. If using the cruise control, then I feel compelled to lock out OD to keep the shifting under control.....which means more RPMs and worse gas mileage. In the rolling hills around here, I will leave the OD on, back off on the gas pedal a little on hills, and shift out of OD when I figure the tranny is ready to shift for itself. I do watch my tranny temperature via a ScanGauge II.....remarkable little instrument.

About the chart on post #1. I never noticed before, but that is the "average" temperature. My truck averages 150 to 170 pulling my Surveyor, but has gotten up to 200 on a long, hard pull up a winding moutain pass here. So my average should be pretty close to 160 or so, with the occasional spike under hard pulling conditions. A little relief to know that.

[CAN-DO]

I do like the gauge mounting package for the top of the dash!! This looks so much better than a pillar mount. Even if you don't purchase the Aerotech gauges, I am sure that their dash mount kits would work with the correct diameter gauges of another manufacturer.

CAN-DO

[Santaclause]

My toyota tundra has the c& h but it never wiggles pulling the camper nor does the eng temp gauge either even on the hottest days pulling through the adirondak Mtns it seems to do just fine

[Herk7769]

I talked to my GMC about this very issue. I have the Allison transmission and I occasionaly pull my rig into the "hills" of PA.
My D.I.C. trans temps can get into the 200 - 220 range but rapidly fall back to 180 - 195 on the back side of the climb.
Normal temps on the highway 160 - 170.
I never got the warning on the DIC. So I asked when it was set to come on and they "thought" it was 250. They said if it even came on I needed to pull over and let the tranny cool down and bring it in for service (filter-fluid change) when I got back from the trip (no real need to rush; just get it done soon as I get back).
They said the Allison was built like a tank and would provide may years of hard service with regular maintenance.

Neat that the Allison has an external spin on filter.

[KenNTennessee]

Like rockwood06, my 2012 GMC Sierra has a DIC which displays transmission tempertaure. I wasn't sure what is was supposed to be, so this chart is helpful. Towing in the mountains last week when the ambient temperature was 103, my transmission temperature was holding at 179. The truck has the factory heavy duty towing package, which includes an auxillary tranmission cooler. So far I'm happy with it. Towed my Rockwood 2304 2175 miles in the past 2 weeks.

[skipper194242]

my 2008 chev. 3500 4x4 diesal with allison transmission while towing a 35 ft. cardinal 5th wheel on hot day peaked at 194 degrees according to dic. i dont know if this is a problem or not. any info helps. thanks.

[Glenn5995]

I know this is an old thread, but as it has resurfaced I'll point out that the chart at the beginning of the thread has been around for decades. It was probably accurate when produced, but modern synthetic ATF is much improved in resistance to degradation from heat. Transmission shops love the chart as they make quite a bit of money flashing it around.

ATF+4 has been used by Chrysler for some time now. It is considered a "fill for life" fluid with an expected life in excess of 100,000 miles. A few highlights of SAE paper #982674:

The Durability (aging) phase involves maintaining the fluid/friction material system under continuous slip at a constant load of 4.0 kN for 6 hours at 100 rpm. Test temperature is maintained at 171°C (171°C is 339°F)

Two results on ATF B at 150°C are shown in Table 9. These results show the superior anti-scuffing performance of ATF B over ATF A. This improved performance has been confirmed in vehicle fleet tests conducted by Chrysler and shown in Figure 8. (150°C is 302°F)

The transmissions operated on ATF A had fluid changes at 15,000-30,000 miles. 15,000 mile oil change intervals slowed but did not eliminate the chain wear. The transmissions operated on ATF B did not show high chain stretch levels even after nearly 100,000 miles of taxi operation without a fluid change. The field data demonstrates the superior wear performance of ATF B and directionally agrees with the bench test data shown in tables 8 and 9.

Most of the development was at 88°C (190°) or above.

There are other transmission components which you do not want to get that hot, but ATF+4 is pretty robost.

For your viewing pleasure:

http://u225.torque.net/cars/tech/trans/982674.pdf

[wayne anthony]

Towing a 6400# (dry) 5th wheel with a '06 Chev 2500, generally runs about 95-100 degrees F above ambient.

[KenNTennessee]

Skipper,
As long as the tranny stays below 200 F it's fine. If it occasionally goes over 200 it will not hurt it, but the fluid life will degraded, so may need changed more often (using the manufacturer's "severe service" schedule).

[BigDaddySC1]

I have an 01 F250 with a quit a few upgrades including tans temp, boost, egt gauges, and a DP Tuner with a 60hp tow command. According to Ford the normal running temp of these transmissions is 80 degrees above ambient. When we took our Sandpiper out for the first time I had to pull it through town with a lot of stop and go traffic and the tranny hit 195 (ambient was 92) and began cooling down on the open road. I have the stock 7.3 12 row aux cooler but I am thinking of upgrading it to the 6.0 26 or 32 row cooler, from post I've read this will reduce temps by about 25-30 degrees. Have any of you had this done.

[18CrewDually]

Originally Posted by BigDaddySC1

I have an 01 F250 with a quit a few upgrades including tans temp, boost, egt gauges, and a DP Tuner with a 60hp tow command. According to Ford the normal running temp of these transmissions is 80 degrees above ambient. When we took our Sandpiper out for the first time I had to pull it through town with a lot of stop and go traffic and the tranny hit 195 (ambient was 92) and began cooling down on the open road. I have the stock 7.3 12 row aux cooler but I am thinking of upgrading it to the 6.0 26 or 32 row cooler, from post I've read this will reduce temps by about 25-30 degrees. Have any of you had this done.

Most of the 7.3 ford guys do that cooler upgrade. It definitely is an improvement. You and I have different transmissions but I will tell you my trans temp is usually around 160 degrees towing. Trans temp is my last concern.

[cstover]

We did it to my buddies truck. Huge difference. Before he would have to pull over to let it cool down. Now.....no more.


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by 05CrewDually

Most of the 7.3 ford guys do that cooler upgrade. It definitely is an improvement. You and I have different transmissions but I will tell you my trans temp is usually around 160 degrees towing. Trans temp is my last concern.

Originally Posted by cstover

We did it to my buddies truck. Huge difference. Before he would have to pull over to let it cool down. Now.....no more.


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

With a 26row cooler, I run about 50-60deg over ambient unloaded and 60-75deg over ambient with my camper and a GCW of just under 16,000lbs. With the 13row that was installed with my HD4R100 transmission(stock is a 9row in the diesels), unloaded was 60-70 over ambient and 80-100deg over ambient loaded.

That post that brought this up was from 2012, but still good info.

[acadianbob]

I think the chart that started this thread may be dated; or at least it may apply to older vehicles. My 2012 F150 transmission runs at 195 degrees; whether towing or not. That's its normal temp. And it doesn't vary much more than a few degrees from that.

[Teamfour]

This data is definitely out of date. The new trannys and synthetic fluids are much improved regarding heat tolerance. Its not uncommon to see my trans temp run about 200 when towing. Synthetic fluids can take upwards of 220 without degradation.

[Mtelkman]

Originally Posted by BigDaddySC1

I have an 01 F250 with a quit a few upgrades including tans temp, boost, egt gauges, and a DP Tuner with a 60hp tow command. According to Ford the normal running temp of these transmissions is 80 degrees above ambient. When we took our Sandpiper out for the first time I had to pull it through town with a lot of stop and go traffic and the tranny hit 195 (ambient was 92) and began cooling down on the open road. I have the stock 7.3 12 row aux cooler but I am thinking of upgrading it to the 6.0 26 or 32 row cooler, from post I've read this will reduce temps by about 25-30 degrees. Have any of you had this done.

I upgraded my '01 7.3l to a 6.0 size trans cooler bought through Rockauto. It works very well. My trans temps seem to stay about 30-40 degrees cooler than they used to with the original setup. I also upgraded to Valvoline full synthetic trans fluid.

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by Mtelkman

I upgraded my '01 7.3l to a 6.0 size trans cooler bought through Rockauto. It works very well. My trans temps seem to stay about 30-40 degrees cooler than they used to with the original setup. I also upgraded to Valvoline full synthetic trans fluid.

Rock Auto tried to ship 2 of those to me, but both showed up crunched with little packing material. I gave up on them and I ended up with a Ford 26row, but even them the first one they shipped showed up damaged.

[Too Tall]

Originally Posted by acadianbob

I think the chart that started this thread may be dated; or at least it may apply to older vehicles. My 2012 F150 transmission runs at 195 degrees; whether towing or not. That's its normal temp. And it doesn't vary much more than a few degrees from that.

I can't believe this thread went 4 pages before someone finally said this. I absolutely agree with you. Additionally, One size doesn't fit all when it comes to operating temperature of a transmission. With synthetic oil, that chart is outdated and regardless of the oil, I question the source also. Nearly every transmission and rear axles comes with synthetic oil in trucks. That chart may be a rough guideline for transmissions of yesteryear.

Just my opinion.