Hello everyone! I would like to know where the best location to install a temperature sending unit for the transmission is and why? If it matters the transmission I would be installing it into is a th400
you rob banks cuz that's where the money is - you install temp sensors in the pan cuz that's where the fluid is.
I see that the pan seems to be the consensus. Now would it matter as to which area of the pan to get the most accurate reading?
Away from the filter, away from exhaust, below mounting lip. The pan will give you a average temp of what's coming back from the cooler and about to go thru the transmission. Want to know how hot it is getting , put a temp gun on the line out before the cooler. That's the hottest it will ever be.
Anywhere on the side of the pan will be fine, like 31Vick said, away from exhaust etc. If you're riding a line so thin that you need to know the temp to the closest degree you have bigger problems, or you're an engineer.
Thank you for the insight! I just wanted to know a good location to install a sending unit. Things like 31Vicky said about keeping it away from the filter and from the exhaust are what I wanted to see. Nope I am no engineer, just want to do whats best for my new Hot Rod
Auto Meter sells a bung that's made just for their sending unit. I forget what size but I was able to zip a hole in the pan with a uni-bit and and it fit perfectly. Welded it in with my mig.
Thats where I installed the sending unit on my old Camaro. As a bonus, it was much easier to do it that way instead of having to drop the transmission pan and weld in a ********.
If you don't have room for yet another gauge, you can wire in a switch that will allow you to read either coolant temp or trans fluid temp with the same gauge (***uming the sensors are the same).
PATC sell a gauge and sender unit to suit steel or alloy pans. As stated mount pan away from exhaust heat etc and where it isn't easily damaged. I ran my transmission fluid through radiator first and then through an auxiliary cooler. On new build I will do the same but run a filter on pressure side as I have a deep pan and engine & trans mods this time around. Normal transmission range is between 180F- 250F with pan temperature of 180F @ 60mph. Any more than 20mins @ 300F and you could need some repairs. When towing a load the temp can easily rise to 250F. Pull a steep hill or grade, tow a trailer and it'll easily rise to 200F+, continue to do things it wasn't designed for and you could easily destroy it by boiling. Good fluid is pink, red means used, Brown or with a red tint means too long.
IIRC on some of the other sites they suggested installing it in the pressure port on the side of the trans, if it has one, which most of your GMs (particularly the OD trans) do. Mostly because it's unscrew the cap, screw in the sender, and away you go, no ****ing around except maybe to wipe a bit of fluid off the case.
Thanks everyone I have lots of options it looks like. I will have to see what will be best for my application and go from there. Besides I have all winter to figure it out and to install.
I have always installed them on the line out as well. I want to know how hot my ****** is not how cool the return is. Think about it like your engine, do you install the temp sender on the inlet side of the water pump?
On my avatar I installed a Auto Meter Trans Temp Gauge Manifold block from Summit ($44 ouch). As porkn****** commented, it is important to install it on the line out of the ******. I chose to do it this way because the ****** was installed and I didn't want to drain the fluid, drop the pan, drill a hole, mount a bung, and put it back together. As noted earlier in this thread, on my other car (OT muscle car), the temp sender is mounted on the pan.
As close to the bottom of the pan as possible. B&M sold a trans temp gauge kit that put the sender in the return line, FROM the cooler. I mounted mine close to the trans, and ot worked great,.....Verified with an infrared sensor. 4TTRUK
4TTRUK will you please post a pic of those instructions. I have installed several new automatics where the instructions suggested otherwise.
http://bmracing.com/?wpsc-product=transmission-temperature-gauge-kit-white-face You'll have to click the instructions link to the PDF. Says to put it in the return line. Their theory is this location monitors the conditions on the coolers. Yea, but that's not what I want to monitor
Yeah! 31 Vicki, and that's not what I want to monitor either! I want to know the hottest temp the fluid gets to...thats in the tq convertor, in the pan, or at the line out on the ******. In that order. Here's Bowtie Overdrives take on this, in order to EARN their warranty on their 200 4R transmissions.
I make a mount out of aluminum that wraps around the ****** line going to the cooler where the oil is hottest margin of error is about +/- 5* at 210* made 2 of them for my friends diesels on the lathe and they work awesome!
The Jalopy Journal
