Tranny running HOT in TRAFFIC...Does this happen to anyone else?

[joey99jb]

So yesterday I was driving back from NY to goto Boston when I got hit with crazy traffic...great. I hate traffic but I hate it even more when you have a 5-spd manual with ya, to much shifting even to my liking. So I roll up my windows to have my peace of mind (18 wheeler next to me) and after maybe 10-15 minutes I feel really a good amount of heat coming through the well where my tranny would be. I could actually feel some heat coming from it. I don't ever remember it ever being "hot" like that to the point where it can actually heat up the car with my windows rolled up. I blame the constant stop and go traffic and constantly pushing on the clutch, but is there another underlying problem here? My engine seemed to be fine, it was maybe a touch above the 210 mark but given the humidity and 80 degree temperature I would expect a bit of a rise. The engine quickly re-cuperated in instances so that is was at or a bit above the 210 mark so I believe that is ok.

I drove my jeep to work today and it was fine, the tranny well was not hot at all and all was good, then again, it was alot cooler today and less humid. Has this happened to anybody else?

Oh yea I drive a 98 Cherokee Sport 5-spd manual and this happened in the evening so, nooo, it wasn't the global warming effect. =)

THANKS!

JoeyB

 

[Kejtar]

When did you check the fluid level last?

 

[joey99jb]

When did you check the fluid level last?

Umm...I am a noob so I have not checked the fluid level at all....don't they do that when you get your oil changed???

 

[Yucca-Man]

Umm...I am a noob so I have not checked the fluid level at all....don't they do that when you get your oil changed???

Nope, those semi-trained monkeys don't have the first clue where to look. Someone is sure to correct me if I'm wrong, but the fill and drain plgs should be on the oassenger side of that transmission

 

[Legacy]

can't say i would trust any one but me to change my own oil, check your fluid level, not that hard.

 

[old_man]

More than likely the heat you are feeling is actually comming from the exhaust. The tranny tunnel can get quite hot. Just check out the passenger's side rear floor if you want to feel hot. It's above the cat.

A common problem that causes localized heating is an exhaust leak.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

More than likely the heat you are feeling is actually comming from the exhaust. The tranny tunnel can get quite hot. Just check out the passenger's side rear floor if you want to feel hot. It's above the cat.

Agree. The heat was most likely to have been radiated from the exhaust through the floorpan. When you're driving along, air passes underneath the vehicle and keeps the floor cool, but that doesn't happen if you're stuck in traffic.
A manual tranny doesn't generate nearly as much heat as a torque converter from an auto tranny vehicle, so tranny heat shouldn't be an issue here. That's why manual tranny vehicles don't need a tranny cooler. Just check the fluid level every 10,000 miles and change it every 20,000.