2013 68rfe Hitting 225* highway

[TXMEDIC71]

My 2013 Ram 2500 Limited 2wd w/ the 68RFE is reaching any where from 210*-235* while driving on the highway unloaded. Truck was deleted 18k miles ago, and has been heating up ever since. Has basic trans tuning and was told by my diesel Mechanic that the trans tuning was just to accommodate the tunes and would not affect the temps, he also said he has not had issues with the trans heating up, post delete. I have dropped the factory trans pan, changed the fluids and filters and installed the PPE deep trans pan. Any help y'all can provide me would be greatly appreciated.

 

[6V92TA]

you could get an infrred temp tester and measure sump temp and see if the sensor reading is OK and then proceed from there.

you'd lmost wonder if it was Ok before the "tune" did the torque converter clutch somehow become disabled in the process simply because it shouldn't run that hot in lockup

 

[kthaxton]

could be a stuck H/bypass valve on the lines to the cooler.

 

[TXMEDIC71]

you could get an infrred temp tester and measure sump temp and see if the sensor reading is OK and then proceed from there.

you'd lmost wonder if it was Ok before the "tune" did the torque converter clutch somehow become disabled in the process simply because it shouldn't run that hot in lockup

That’s the issue is that I don’t remember what temps were running before the tune. I’ll have to get a temp gun and check! I do know that the fan kicks up high(2000+\- rpm over 210.

 

[TXMEDIC71]

could be a stuck H/bypass valve on the lines to the cooler.

That’s what I was thinking as well, however my mechanic doesn’t think so. Maybe a 2nd opinion is in order.

 

[Newsa]

That’s the issue is that I don’t remember what temps were running before the tune. I’ll have to get a temp gun and check! I do know that the fan kicks up high(2000+\- rpm over 210.

You wouldn't have noticed high temps.before the tune? But you do after?

 

[TXMEDIC71]

You wouldn't have noticed high temps.before the tune? But you do after?

Edge CTS2 monitor on the windshield, now.

 

[Newsa]

Edge CTS2 monitor on the windshield, now.

Oh.

I thought there was a display in the EVIC. Since I have a manual transmission, I didn't know you were relying on new info that wasn't displaced in the EVIC

 

[gsbrockman]

Perform a search here using the key words thermal bypass valve and you should find some interesting reading.

 

[transe]

If you have a Thermal Bypass Valve (TBV), and your trans is overheating, the TBV is the number 1 suspect!
Check the temps of the lines going in and out of the TBV. The TBV will have four lines connected to it: Two running back to the trans, and two running forward to the cooler. When the trans is hot, if the TBV is working correctly, the lines that are OPPOSITE each other should be the same temp. For example, one line between trans and TBV will be HOT (as will the opposite line going to the cooler), and one line between trans and TBV will be somewhat cooler (as will the other line going to the cooler).
If you find a "cold" line (between TBV and cooler) and the line on the opposite side of the TBV is hot (when trans temp is ~180°F or higher), your TBV is stuck closed.

 

[kthaxton]

Out of curiosity, is there a fix besides just replacing the TBV (to get you through a trip or off the side of the highway)?

 

[transe]

Out of curiosity, is there a fix besides just replacing the TBV (to get you through a trip or off the side of the highway)?

Nope, you have to replace the TBV. But in many cases, you should be able to finish your trip OK, especially if you're driving at highway speeds rather than stop-and-go. Temps up to 240°F (or more) will not instantly kill your trans. They simply result in much faster wear / deterioration than driving at lower temps. So (for example) driving at 240°F sump temp does maybe 70 times as much damage as driving at 180°F. That sounds terrible, but if you have to drive for an hour (at 60 mph) to get home, that would do the same amount of damage to the trans as maybe 4200 miles of normal driving. Not great, but probably preferable to getting towed, spending a night or two in a hotel, etc.

At 220°F sump, the damage factor (compared to 180°F) is probably more like 16X.

 

[kthaxton]

Thanks!