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aw4 trans temps.

jtcnjxj

NAXJA Forum User
I'm looking for feedback on aw4 trans temps. I put in a B&M 70268 trans-rad-cooler-trans. I put the sender for the guage on the Supply line, after reading a lot of posts here and elsewhere. B&M recommends sending unit on the return line, so their guage color scheme (green -yellow-red ranges) reflects return line temps. That said, I'm expecting the temp to SEEM on the high side according to the guage Colors (not installed yet).

I've heard preferred temps should be around 170- 190 ish. Is that correct, AND where are those temps measured??
 
I just did the same deal to my tranny after cooked it at rausch creek. I heard 100* is good, mine usually does 150 on the freeway. Pretty sure anything under 200 is ok.
 
At the OUT flow from the trans.

TransLifeChartfromHECATInc.jpg
 
I guess I'm just WEIRD in that I want to know what the trans fluid temperature is right when it is leaving the transmission.

I know that if my transmission fluid is too hot, then my transmission is in trouble. You could have bad transmission fluid or a mechanical issue causing slippage in the transmission (slippage equals heat), and if you have a super-dooper transmission fluid cooling setup YOU WILL NEVER KNOW YOU HAVE TROUBLE UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE, because you only know the fluid temperature AFTER its been cooled. Cooled transmission fluid doesn't tell you SQUAT about the operating temperature of the transmission.

Just my .02 worth.
 
I guess I'm just WEIRD in that I want to know what the trans fluid temperature is right when it is leaving the transmission.

I know that if my transmission fluid is too hot, then my transmission is in trouble. You could have bad transmission fluid or a mechanical issue causing slippage in the transmission (slippage equals heat), and if you have a super-dooper transmission fluid cooling setup YOU WILL NEVER KNOW YOU HAVE TROUBLE UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE, because you only know the fluid temperature AFTER its been cooled. Cooled transmission fluid doesn't tell you SQUAT about the operating temperature of the transmission.

Just my .02 worth.

Thats pretty much my attitude as well ... but my very limited AW4 knowledge suggests that much higher temps will be recorded on the outflow line from the gearbox as torque converter temps can get quite high normally ... and the torque converter is the last component, outgoing oil passes through. ???

Like joe_peters .... I prefer to know whats happening with something ...

Ideally dual gauges monitoring in & out temps would be excellent .... but its a lot of modding and plumbing for general day to day driving temp monitoring.

Factory spec operating temp is between 122'f and 176'f.

The factory spec temps are most likely the sump/gallery temps ... If its the after torque converter temps .... Its no wonder I go through gearboxes :laugh:

To the OP

With a RHD factory oil "cooling" setup - my tranny sump temps were about 170 - 240 depending on driving circumstances.

Interestingly enough .. the factory provided the baby aux oil cooler as a standard fitting ...... but they did dangle the radiator heat exchanger in the hot side of the radiator to make up for it ... :rolleyes:

Since bypassing the radiator and fitting a pair of factory aux coolers my average temp is 160' .... until I go up a hill or tow something in summer ... and then its back to 220' and the warning buzzer screaming its head off.

As it would appear the factory aux cooler is all but useless unless its buried in a snow bank .... I have another "proper" oil cooler in the shed to be fitted .... but probably wont get around to doing anything about it till after winter .... and then next winter ... if its needed - I'll organise a bypass line in parallel in case of over cooling .... coz I aint using the radiator nonsense again.



heh heh .... over cooling :rolleyes: ...

Middle of winter here now and it was the usual minimum 30'f for an hour or two early this morning where I am.
 
Maybe I'm mistaken, but I'm under the impression the fluid gets sucked through the filter, then through the pump, out to the coolers, then into the trans for usage. Not sure why but that's what I'm remembering. If that's right, measuring straight out of the pan would just give you a heat soaked reading, where measuring out of the cooler would give you a good scope of what the trans is actually seeing/using.
 
When I set my trans temp gauges up I am going to be monitoring both inlet and outlet temps, as Joe Peters wants to. I would like to be able to keep an eye on how much heat the AW-4 is actually putting out, which is best determined from the outlet-inlet delta temp.
 
A great mod is to run a sender on both lines and use a switch to toggle between them. I used to run 2 gauges for the trans but now use the second gauge for the t-case temp. -B
 
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