No one has mentioned this, so I will. I noticed you said ambient temperatures are higher, therefore I am assuming the air conditioner is being used (or used more, i.e. higher fan speed resulting in more compressor use). This raises the cooling system temperatures, and as the tranny lines flow through the radiator, the tranny temps are in turn raised. I see this with my gauge when the air conditioner is on.
Transmission fluid temps
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Originally Posted By: weebl
No one has mentioned this, so I will. I noticed you said ambient temperatures are higher, therefore I am assuming the air conditioner is being used (or used more, i.e. higher fan speed resulting in more compressor use). This raises the cooling system temperatures, and as the tranny lines flow through the radiator, the tranny temps are in turn raised. I see this with my gauge when the air conditioner is on.
I had thought about that. I think I might have tried turning off the A/C when it was cooler on Saturday (about 70F) but with no positive effect. However, I also might have just thought about doing that and didn't actually try.
No one has mentioned this, so I will. I noticed you said ambient temperatures are higher, therefore I am assuming the air conditioner is being used (or used more, i.e. higher fan speed resulting in more compressor use). This raises the cooling system temperatures, and as the tranny lines flow through the radiator, the tranny temps are in turn raised. I see this with my gauge when the air conditioner is on.
I had thought about that. I think I might have tried turning off the A/C when it was cooler on Saturday (about 70F) but with no positive effect. However, I also might have just thought about doing that and didn't actually try.
if simply turning on the AC raises the coolant temp that sure shows a lack of any reserve in the cooling system. Or it could simply be fan programming if the car has electrical fans.
AC makes absolutely no difference on almost any of our fleet trucks or my personal stable.
AC makes absolutely no difference on almost any of our fleet trucks or my personal stable.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
if simply turning on the AC raises the coolant temp that sure shows a lack of any reserve in the cooling system. Or it could simply be fan programming if the car has electrical fans.
AC makes absolutely no difference on almost any of our fleet trucks or my personal stable.
I don't think the A/C has much of a direct effect on the coolant temps but believe the electric fans kick on at a lower temp when the A/C is on. So it could actually run cooler with the A/C on vs off.
if simply turning on the AC raises the coolant temp that sure shows a lack of any reserve in the cooling system. Or it could simply be fan programming if the car has electrical fans.
AC makes absolutely no difference on almost any of our fleet trucks or my personal stable.
I don't think the A/C has much of a direct effect on the coolant temps but believe the electric fans kick on at a lower temp when the A/C is on. So it could actually run cooler with the A/C on vs off.
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Believe it or not, but the condition of the radiator was worse than it appeared in the photos I posted. While using some picks to straighten the bent fins, I was pulling dirt out from between the fins. I doubt much, if any, air was flowing through those parts of the radiator. After straightening out and somewhat cleaning out the bent fins, I shoved a hose behind the radiator and turned it on full blast. The water eventually flowed out the front at a pretty good rate so I think I got quite a bit of that gunk out.
I will be driving a total of about 5 hours tomorrow in 70F morning temps and 85-90F afternoon temps. I'll report back with tranny fluid and coolant temps when I finish driving on the afternoon.
I will be driving a total of about 5 hours tomorrow in 70F morning temps and 85-90F afternoon temps. I'll report back with tranny fluid and coolant temps when I finish driving on the afternoon.
That long drive last week proved inconclusive. I lost quite a bit of fluid when changing a cooler line fitting, topped it up that day, and just made sure it was at the bottom of the operating range section on the dipstick. On the drive out with low 70s temps the fluid performed well, hitting 206F at one point but settling down to 192F while cruising at 55 mph. However, before heading home I re-checked the fluid level and decided to top it off. The lighting wasn't great, it was hard to see the level on the dipstick, and I ended up adding about 20 oz, 4-6 oz at a time, checking the dipstick after each add. Temps shot up during the 80-95F trip home, topping out at 221F and settling at about 215F while cruising at 65 mph, and the tranny was acting a bit weird. When I checked the level again closer to home, I discovered that I overfilled by a pint or more. Reading the owners manual closer, it said to do the whole check procedure after each fluid add (run through gears and let idle in park for 3-5 minutes), which I failed to do earlier, resulting in the overfill. I'm guessing the heat and performance were due to the overfill. I was finally able to get around to siphoning out about 16 oz of fluid this afternoon, will be driving it a bit over the next few days and will see how the temps work out.
Even if the temps remain elevated, I figure I will change the fluid every 30k miles and when the tranny finally kicks the bucket I will have the radiator replaced when swapping in a new tranny.
Even if the temps remain elevated, I figure I will change the fluid every 30k miles and when the tranny finally kicks the bucket I will have the radiator replaced when swapping in a new tranny.
The 06 tranny is a good one, no reason for it to meet an early demise.
Go ahead and put a cooler on it.
I have some pics of a GM cooler setup with part numbers off the car i have here that i use on W bodies, i will post some later tonight.
Go ahead and put a cooler on it.
I have some pics of a GM cooler setup with part numbers off the car i have here that i use on W bodies, i will post some later tonight.
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