Which tranny temp gauge should I get?

[DennisG01]

I like the VDO Vision, but they only make a Trans. Temp. gauge with a 400* range on the dial. They do make an Oil Temp. gauge with a 300* range, though. Should I get the Trans or Oil gauge? I am using it for tranny temperature. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand, there is no reason to have the dial go up to 400*. Is there any reason that the 300* Oil temp. gauge would not work?

[fogg65td]

On my truck my tranny gauge only goes till 250 and from my understanding temps over 250 drematically reduce tranny life and over 300 there isn't much time left. I wouldn't think that it would matter much on the gauge as long as you could read the temps from 150 to 250 cause that seams to be an acceptable range. Thats what i know but there is prob a more experienced tranny man out there, so let me know if im wrong.

[DennisG01]

Thanks, Fogg. Yea, I've heard about the magical 250* mark, also. But where is that measured at? My temperature probe will be going in the tranny line to the cooler.

[damork]

Dennis Galligani,

I went with the Vision series oil temp gauge that reads 120-250 and am very satisfied with it - my pan temp has never been above 175 with a Tru-cool plate type cooler up front. The Vision series is a good line of gauges.

I looked at the VDO "trans temp" gauge and in my opinion it is nothing short of rediculous. At 250F you already have done damage to the fluid, and the gauge might as well say "too late". I don't care what the marketers say about this topic, the truth about fluids is that you should keep the tranny oil under 200F for any reasonable kind of transmission longevity.

I get a little fired up about this topic but I work in it everyday and see what 250F does on a regular basis to fluids and components (engine, trans, hydraulics). Keep it cool as you can.

[DennisG01]

Damork,

Where did you find a Vision gauge labeled "oil temp" with a 250* dial? The one I saw is labeled "water temp". They have a 350* labeled "oil temp" and 450* labeled "trans. temp".

Is there anything wrong with using the "water temp." gauge for tranny temp?

Thanks for the input - the more information I get, the better I understand this stuff!

[damork]

Dennis Galligani,

I will check and post back to you. I seem to recall it was egauges.com, but there were some other vendors. Price was only about $27.

There is no problem using a gauge that says Water, it is only paint, but nicer to have something with a more appropriate name.

I just looked at their site and it appears it is a 300F gauge now that says oil (PN 310-106). I had one from the past that was oil that read 250, but the 300F gauge would work - it beats the 400F unit. Their Cockpit series used to sell with oil temp at 250 max.

Here's a picture of it:
http://www.egauges.com/vdo_mult.asp?Type=Elec_Engine_Temp&Series=Vision&Cart=

Autometer has a 250F oil temp gauge shown here:

http://www.egauges.com/vdo_mult.asp?Type=Elec_Engine_Temp&Series=Z-Series&Cart=

And if you look a little further they also have a trans temp gauge that goes to 250F.

Good luck.

[DennisG01]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by damork:
[QB] Dennis Galligani,

There is no problem using a gauge that says Water, it is only paint, but nicer to have something with a more appropriate name.

Thanks, Damork. Yea, I guess atleast the 300* says "oil".
Did I see correctly that you have the probe in the pan? Does that mean I should watch out for 270* since my probe in the line going to cooler? I'm a little confused on exactly what number to watch out for. Thanks again!!! smile.gif

[damork]

Dennis,

Look at this post from Borg Warner:

http://www.humvee.net/hid/rungear/fluidtmp.html

It pretty much sums it up. Wherever the oil is getting hot, it is affecting the life of the oil and ultimately the transmission. It is good to keep an eye on the color and smell for a burned smell from time to time. I've changed fluid whenever it turns dark or smells much different than the new stuff - but try for less than 2 years or 30k.

[DennisG01]

I'm really glad I'm getting these gauges! I only ever had the traditional 'engine temp' to go by.