I plan on getting my tranny temp gauge installed this weekend. When I do it however; I was wondering where the best location would be for it.
The simplist would be just to drill a hole in the pan and install a bung for it to screw into. However, wouldn't be completely accurate, but acceptable.
The other method that I know of would be to put a T fitting in the tranny cooler line going to the cooler. If I do that then which line is the feed line and which is return? I know that this would give me the most accurate reading.

what are your opinions on where to install this sender? Thanks.

 

I teed mine in , was very easy to do. theres varying ideas on this but one piece od advice. I used brass compression fitting dont use the steel fitting as they loosen over time and tightning them will compress the line itself. The brass the fitting itself compresses and they dont loosen off , mine never drip.

The line that comes from the passenger side is the out flow line, it goes through the heat exchanger before going to the cooler. It comes out of the tranny and goes over the top then back over, and forward to cooler.

 

I installed my sender using a "T" fitting where the stock temperature switch goes. No headaches with leaks or the compression fittings coming loose, and I prefer to measure the temp at the hottest spot: the fluid coming out of the converter. That way I know when I need to downshift or back off the fuel before any damage is done.

 

Dan, what is the aprox. location of that stock temp switch? That seems to be a good place to install it. Also, what fittings are needed to make it work? Thanks, Kennedy

 

The sender is on the output line - look on the driver's side towards the front of the transmission pan. I can't remember what size the fittings are, but I picked them all up from the local Ace Hardware. I used a short threaded nipple and a T-fitting, with the reducer adapter supplied with the gauge.

 

I put my sending unit in a test plug on the right side of the tranny near the TQ. I just unscrewed the plug and screwed in the fitting. It was way to easy and fast, no teeing and cutting tranny lines, and no leaking. It was easy.

 

The fittings on the right side are test ports, and the front port is front servo. I wouldn't call it the most accurate place to get a temp. It works, but I wouldn't suggest it as the best place to monitor.
The cooler line tee, is an easy install(the cost of a brass 3/8NPT tee), and by far is the most accurate, as it is the hottest point, which is what needs to be monitored for the auto.

If you want to get real creative, the cost of a switch and a second sending unit and a bung in the pan, will give you temp differentials, so you can see both sides, pre and post cooler.

 

Hi Fred, have not talked to you for awhile.

Have you ever checked the temp difference between in the pan and in the line? I just put on a deep MagHiTec pan and used the pan bung. Seems to work better than it did when I had the sender in the side of the tranny. So far the temps seem to stay around 160 when towing except for towing up a long hill. Got it up to 190 on the last trip. This was with the water tranny cooler on the side of the block removed for the twins and without the fan being on with the "under the bed" cooler. Turned the fan on and it droped back to 160. On flat ground, no trailer, the temps seem to stay around 140.

Was just wondering the difference between the two ports.

 

Woops, Duplicate!

 

I discussed this with a friend who owns a tranny shop, and it all depends on how effective your cooling system is. He has the sender for his rock-crawling Jeep in the pan so he knows that his coolers are doing the job, and there is little he can do about the output temps when rock crawling - he's normally in 1st gear/4-low anyway, so downshifting isn't an option. I'll probably do the same when I swap an auto into my Jeep, but I still prefer the output line for the truck.

The ideal set-up would be to measure both the pan and output line temps, but I don't want to install a second gauge (or an unmatched dual gauge).

 

i see 170-180F on the output line normally empty...

 

Stan, you could easily see a 50 degree difference between output and pan. This is very dependent on outside temp, and how much cooling abilities your setup has. That's why a secondary cooler is almost a must on a 1gen.

Dan, do as I described. A switch, some wire, 1/8NPT bung and a second sending unit and you have one gauge reading 2 temps at the flip of a switch. Maybe $22 in parts.

 

"This was with the water tranny cooler on the side of the block removed for the twins and without the fan being on " Pacool

So from this comment can I safely assume that the **** water cooler isn.t needed? I have an aux. cooler on the frame rail too so as far as I count there are at least three tranny coolers on my truck maybe four. I would love to get rid of that water cooler.... but was told the tranny would melt down without it.