As I use my 2006 Toyota Sienna (fwd with the U151E transmission) to tow a tent trailer, I thought that a transmission temperature gauge would be a useful addition to my vehicle, so I asked Santa for one this past Christmas and this is what he got me:
http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugedetail.aspx?ref=search&gid=3671
Inside the package, are the following:
- sender, with 1/8" NPT fitting, and lead wire to the gauge
- adapters to fit the 1/8" NPT to 3/8" and 1/2" NPT
- gauge bezel/retaining ring
- the gauge itself
- very generic install instructions
From some research I've done, it appears that 1/8" NPT is the standard size for temperature gauge senders. There seem to be 3 prominent methods that I've come across for installing the sender:
- a tee-adapter fitting into the cooler line that goes from the transmission into the radiator to mount the sender in
- an aluminum adapter to clamp onto a cooler line (without tapping into it) and attach the sender to: (http://www.dieselpowerproducts.com/p-513...r-12-lines.aspx)
- in the pan via a special drain plug with a 1/8" NPT middle: (http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Derale/D13010.html)
Issues so far with these methods are, I have yet to locate any of these items in an application specific to the Toyota Sienna or U151E transmission. I assume the tee-adapter is quite generic, and if I know the sizes I need, I can use standard brass NPT fittings to do this myself. For the aluminum clamp on adapter, again, don't know the Sienna specific application for it (if one exists), nor do I know how effective this method is for getting an accurate reading. The most attrative to me is the drain plug method, but all I can find are "universal" plugs, intended for vehicles without a factory drain plug in which to drill into the pan for one. Knowing the thread size of the factory plug may help me locate something suitable.
Other factors I am considering are, ease of installation (I'll do a drain and fill at the time of install anyway, so that part isn't an issue), accurate temperature readings, a protected installation location and reasonable cost of the fittings/adapters, not to mention good availablity.
http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugedetail.aspx?ref=search&gid=3671
Inside the package, are the following:
- sender, with 1/8" NPT fitting, and lead wire to the gauge
- adapters to fit the 1/8" NPT to 3/8" and 1/2" NPT
- gauge bezel/retaining ring
- the gauge itself
- very generic install instructions
From some research I've done, it appears that 1/8" NPT is the standard size for temperature gauge senders. There seem to be 3 prominent methods that I've come across for installing the sender:
- a tee-adapter fitting into the cooler line that goes from the transmission into the radiator to mount the sender in
- an aluminum adapter to clamp onto a cooler line (without tapping into it) and attach the sender to: (http://www.dieselpowerproducts.com/p-513...r-12-lines.aspx)
- in the pan via a special drain plug with a 1/8" NPT middle: (http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Derale/D13010.html)
Issues so far with these methods are, I have yet to locate any of these items in an application specific to the Toyota Sienna or U151E transmission. I assume the tee-adapter is quite generic, and if I know the sizes I need, I can use standard brass NPT fittings to do this myself. For the aluminum clamp on adapter, again, don't know the Sienna specific application for it (if one exists), nor do I know how effective this method is for getting an accurate reading. The most attrative to me is the drain plug method, but all I can find are "universal" plugs, intended for vehicles without a factory drain plug in which to drill into the pan for one. Knowing the thread size of the factory plug may help me locate something suitable.
Other factors I am considering are, ease of installation (I'll do a drain and fill at the time of install anyway, so that part isn't an issue), accurate temperature readings, a protected installation location and reasonable cost of the fittings/adapters, not to mention good availablity.
