Trans temp. What's to hot?

[BBO Javelin]

My turbo LS mustang is running a glide with a PTC 9.5 inch billet converter,3.55 gears and 275/60-15 Mickey drag radial pro's. I have a bar and plate cooler with a fan on it mounted at rear of car under the bottom. With my loose converter I see temps in the 200-210 range in a pull and 190-200 cruising. Is this to hot? The odd thing is I can shoot the aluminum trans pan with a pyro gun and it reads 150 while the gauge says 180 but can shoot the cooler and it says 180. My temp probe is in the pan and gauge is an AEM digital.

[squirrel]

wife's 08 silverado has a trans temp gauge that displays where the odometer is....gets up to 250ish when towing thru hills. Still working fine after 93k miles.

stolen from the interwebs:

175°F = 100,000+ miles
190°F = 90,000 miles
210°F = 55,000 miles (Pressure Drops)
230°F = 25,000 miles (Valves Stick)
250°F = 17,000 miles (Varnish Forms)
270°F = 4000 miles (Seals & Clutches Burn)
300°F + = TRANSMISSION FAILURE

[gray86hatch]

Cooler the better. if you have synthetic fluid you should be ok. I personally would add another cooler.

Tim

[BBO Javelin]

Cooler the better. if you have synthetic fluid you should be ok. I personally would add another cooler. Tim

I run regular type F fluid. I thought about another cooler but am very space limited as it would have to go under the car somewhere. I know it's converter building heat as I can stop when I get off the interstate and it it will cool down to 180 in less than a minute. Should I swap to synthetic? If so what brand? What about the 1-2 quarts still in converter?

[BBO Javelin]

Forgot to add that after 15 passes down the strip,all hard on the trans brake and about 600 road miles the fluid is still nice and pink. Wonder if my gauge could be a little off.

[squirrel]

it has to get way hotter than 210 to mess up the fluid.

And, the gauge could be off. Or your temp gun could be off.

[BBO Javelin]

it has to get way hotter than 210 to mess up the fluid. And, the gauge could be off. Or your temp gun could be off.

Ok wanted some opinions as I've never had a gauge for trans temps so never really worried about the till now. I shot my heads and water pump with my heat gun and it was within a few degrees of my water temp gauge so I think it's pretty accurate.

[AdvAutoBob]

I was concerned about temps after losing my trans last year, so I asked the guys at Transmission Specialties about it... They told me not to worry if temps get up to 225 (what I was reading), especially if I was running synthetic fluid. as it turned out, I had my temp probe on the inlet of the cooler (directly off the converter), and when making laps at the track it would routinely spike the gauge to 225-240 while making a pass, then immediately cooling back to 210. I put a second temp sender in the pan (wired the gauge to a double throw switch), and the pan temp ran no hotter than 190 driving down the road. Switching back to the original sender, I could watch the gauge move when adding throttle, but the pan temp stayed rock solid.

Bottom line.. I think you're alright with your temps

[BBO Javelin]

OK, thanks fellas I drove the car last night down the interstate varying speeds between 70-80 mph and trans temps climbed to 200 degrees and just stayed there till I got off the interstate and they dropped to 190 cruising 60mph. Outside temp yesterday evening right around dark was probably 85 degrees. So if temps get to around 95-100 on drag week I may see 210-215 but that seems ok.

[Firechickenman]

The odd thing is I can shoot the aluminum trans pan with a pyro gun and it reads 150 while the gauge says 180 but can shoot the cooler and it says 180.

Infrared temp guns are very sensitive to the surface you're shooting. Light colored smooth metals will usually read lower than actual temp. Stick a piece of tape on the surface or a shot of flat black paint and that will help get an accurate reading.

[BBO Javelin]

Will do. Thanks.