Auto trans fluid running a little warm?

C

Chris142

Joined
Jun 5, 2003
Messages
28,097
Location
Apple Valley, California
Using a F450 today. Truck is pretty heavy I think. Trans is running 217f on the flats and I saw 232f on the hills. I always thought 200f was the hottest one should get and anything over that will damage the trans. No lights or warnings came on so I guess it's still in the acceptable range.

Truck is nearly new.. 1162 miles as of now .
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Chris142, where is the trans temp taken from on this vehicle?

If you have an infrared gun, after a a long drive aim it at the trans pan and see what kind of temp you get!
 
I think most truck transmissions these days run pretty hot. The ZF box in the Ram I borrowed last year to tow my kids Civic back from Mrytle beach was well over 200* most of the time. The oil was as well. They're just running them hotter these days. I don't see over 200 in the Ranger, but I've never really loaded it down for long periods of time. I know of other 10R80 owners that regularly see over 200-220's.
 
The 5R110 in my 2008 will hit 230 before the fan is commanded to full speed. Much like what you see there the gauge on the dash will still be in the middle of its range. If I get it to lock up the converter the temp drops fast. these are also pan temps. I bet the converter is running 280-300F.
 
Heavy truck, lot of wind resistance, torquey engine = hotter transmission than a passenger car. I am kinda surprised it's running that warm though. Towing anything? What's the orange symbol above the odometer?
 
The 10L1000 in my Duramax runs at 143-145°F almost all the time when pulling or not. Climbing grades or using the exhaust brake while towing will raise the temperature to 175°F occasionally, but never higher. The 10L1000 and the 10R140 were codeveloped and are very similar with some parts being interchangeable.

Your temps do seem a bit high, but I would be interested in hearing from other 10R140 owners before concluding that your trans is running hot.

@High Performance Lubricants has a couple of the 10R140 transmissions and pulls trailers. Maybe Dave can chime in on his trans temps when pulling?
 
wwillson said:
The 10L1000 in my Duramax runs at 143-145°F almost all the time when pulling or not. Climbing grades or using the exhaust brake while towing will raise the temperature to 175°F occasionally, but never higher. The 10L1000 and the 10R140 were codeveloped and are very similar with some parts being interchangeable.

Your temps do seem a bit high, but I would be interested in hearing from other 10R140 owners before concluding that your trans is running hot.

@High Performance Lubricants has a couple of the 10R140 transmissions and pulls trailers. Maybe Dave can chime in on his trans temps when pulling?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I don’t have direct input. The 450’s I tow with are still 7.3’s that have all been to BTS in Lead Hill Arkansas. For anyone that has had the luxury to have that experience you get spoiled by a truck that will pull a 20,000 pound trailer 80 mph through the desert at 100 ambient at trans temps of 190F.

The new trucks are fantastic but I have only pulled small trailers with them. Sorry

David
 
WylieCoyote said:
Heavy truck, lot of wind resistance, torquey engine = hotter transmission than a passenger car. I am kinda surprised it's running that warm though. Towing anything? What's the orange symbol above the odometer?
Click to expand...
Not towing. The orange symble means that the engine brake was on. I didn't want to smoke the brakes going down hill.
 
Chris142 said:
Not towing. The orange symble means that the engine brake was on. I didn't want to smoke the brakes going down hill.
Click to expand...
You could do what a lot of 2018-2019 Mustang owners did and take it in to have the fluid level checked. A LOT of those Mustangs came out of the factory under-filled.
 
Does it have an ATF heat exchanger? My Tundra would sit at coolant temp on long highway drives. No surprise, there was a heat exchanger between coolant and ATF. Unlock the convertor and I could see 230 on hills--I always assumed that was when the ATF thermostat opened.

Old school rules about transmission oil temperature no longer seem to apply. Not that I'd want an ATF to sit at 300F for any length of time, but the newer oils don't seem to care as much. No surprise, everything gets better with time, right?

Also there is a difference between sump temp and convertor outlet temp. My Tundra seemed to report outlet temp, it would respond very quickly to throttle changes.
 
My 2015 2.7 F150 with the 6 speed auto runs over 200* on the dash readout cruising on the freeway on a 100* day.
 
That temp is well within normal range. Modern transmission fluids can take higher temps-that's why the fluids have changed. There isn't an issue with the Op's truck.

My SIlverado has a trans thermostat-it runs at 190 degrees-and will go up from there if I'm towing, etc.
 
Chris142 said:
Using a F450 today. Truck is pretty heavy I think. Trans is running 217f on the flats and I saw 232f on the hills. I always thought 200f was the hottest one should get and anything over that will damage the trans. No lights or warnings came on so I guess it's still in the acceptable range.

Truck is nearly new.. 1162 miles as of now .
Click to expand...
Welcome to 2021. 200F cap was probably true several decades ago.

My ZF8 runs ~ 200f in normal city driving.
 
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