Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Transmission Temp... hot?

[Nate]

I just got done installation a set of Banks gauges. This morning I took the truck out to drop it off at the body shop to get some work done.



Well it's around 50* today, and the transmission gauge was getting up to 220*. This is city driving. Once I got going fast enough to hit lock up, the temp would quickly fall down to around 170*. As soon as it would unlock, it would climb quickly back up to 220*



Does this make any sense? The sender is tapped into the transmission line. I have the same setup on my Jeep, and I've rarely seen it go over 180-190* with city driving.



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[bmoeller]

With the sender is in the hot line to the cooler, you are right on. That is the hottest the oil gets. It comes straight from the torque convertor. Best to keep the oil temp below 200*.



When in stop and go traffic, put truck into neutral to take the load off and to let oil circulate to the cooler.



One thing you will notice in the winter, the needle won't come off the peg, unless you towing. I have a gauge that starts at 100*, and won't come off the peg when the ambient temp is under 25-30*F when empty.

 

[DieselRam30]

IMHO for long transmission life, 220 degrees seems a bit high, especially if you are not towing. The transmission will handle brief spurts at higher temperatures, but ultimately all that does is shorten the life of the trans. The fact that the temperature does come down is a good thing. That would seem to indicate that the lockup clutch is not slipping. If you get excessive temperatures frequently, try flushing the transmission cooler or maybe getting a larger capacity transmission pan.

 

[JoshPeters]

It sounds a touch warm to me... but being it was City driving with... what appears to be a stock converter... . I don't think I'd be to terribly worried. I talked with Dave Goerend, and he said if you hit 250 SHUT IT DOWN! Not in a mile, NOW! If the transmission is "good" it will still be OK, get over that or stay there for any length of time... . and it's toast.



Josh

 

[keimmmo]

That sounds pretty hot for a 50* day! Mine doesn't go over 140* in lockup expect on really hot days while towing... and then, NEVER as high as 170*! What the other guys have said is right on. Personally, I suspect the guage in your jeep is accurate. I would really question the new one in your truck. How hard would it be to swap the guages between the two vehicles to see if the problem is the guage or if you have a trans problem in the pickup?



Steve Keim

 

[Nate]

Swapping the guages would be a PITA since the one on the Jeep I'd have to pull half the dash apart. I'll see if I can get another Banks gauge setup and see what that does.



I don't keep the truck in gear at lights or anything like that. This was just regular driving 30-40mph for the most part.



Not a stock convertor, but bascially a stock replacement. Complete rebuild on the transmission about a year ago and it was apart again a few months ago when I lost 2nd gear.

 

[Nate]

I got a new sender yesterday. Truck is at the body shop though, so wasn't able to put it in.



Curious... if the bands aren't adjusted correctly, would that make the transmission run hot? The reason I ask is because the transmission shop said I had adjusted the bands too tight. Like the rear band, they said back out 7 turns, not 3.



I find it odd that this 1 transmission shop would say this, they've been building trannys for many years, but then everything else I have read tells me otherwise. 1 7/8 for the front and 3 for the back.

 

[bmoeller]

These are the specs.



I normally back off 1 extra full turn. A little looser is better than too tight.

 

[rweis]

1 extra full turn on which one? The inside one or the outside one?



Bob Weis

 

[Nate]

If it's backed off too much, I'd imagine that the band won't grab the clutch as hard, and then slip more? Does that make sense or I am wrong. I don't know a whole lot about auto trannies.

 

[rweis]

The adjustment that you have to drop the transmission pan is the ?



The adjustment on the outside side of the transmission is the ?



Which one is CRITICAL you get EXACTELY right?



Which one allows some leeway in the turns to back off?



Why would you not want to do exactely (according to BK) 72"# then back off 2 turns, 72"# then back off 3 turns (make sure the adjusting screw part is freely turned and not sticking).



I know VERY little about how the transmission works and why it does what it does. Change the fluid every 12k, do the adjustment according to BK (I have a DTT), put the fluid BK "suggest" in it, monitor it's temps (hot line and pan) carefully and do not overheat it!



Bob Weis

 

[Nate]

The one outside is the front band. The one in the pan is the rear band. Both 72 in/lbs. Front back out 1 7/8 turns, rear 3 turns

 

[nps]

A 50* swing between lockup and unlocked when unloaded seems a bit high - regardless of whether the gauge or sender is inaccurate. So my guess is that something is building heat. Call DTT or Dave Goerend and see what their opinion is.

 

[bmoeller]

1 extra full turn on which one? The inside one or the outside one?



Bob Weis

I do both that way on mine when I adjusted them on the stocker. Haven't touched the new transmission yet.



I couldn't tell any difference driving my truck before, or after the band adjustment. They both were WAY out of spec. Doubt they have been touched before I bought the truck. .

A 50* swing between lockup and unlocked when unloaded seems a bit high -

That is a stock convertor for ya. POS.

 

[Nate]

My Jeep has a 42RE, bascially the same setup at the 47RE and I've seen it hit 220* maybe twice. Sendor is in the line, same as the truck.



I guess I'll just run this transmission until it burns up and get something better. It's only money anyway.

 

[Nate]

I got my truck back today and did some more driving. Once again, around town 200-220. If I get on the throttle a bit, it climbs up in temp quickly. I brought it on the highway and once I got the torque convertor to lock up, it was down to 140*... very quickly. As soon as it unlocked, started going back up to 220*



I backed into the drive at home, which is an incline and maybe 25 feet and it was 240* by the time I was at the garage.



Talked to a transmission shop and they think it could be a plugged cooler in the radiator, which they said is pretty common with Dodges. I guess there is a screen in there.



Other ideas?

 

[rweis]

Check valve malfunctioning.



Bob Weis

 

[Nate]

I talked to 3 transmission shops today, and they all told me the same thing, that it will get that hot on the return line, and to put the sender in the pan instead.



Who has the sender in the hot line? And what temps are you getting?