Just installed my A4 today (A used 45,000mile 4L60E)....4000 stall converter. It is ran through the factory cooler and an aftermarket cooler..I am still seeing a 220* temp will hold even in 60* weather. Other than the temp gauge staring me in the face, it operates and shifts normal. I have the sender in the presure port. (Digital Gauge)

The weirdest part is that if I am seeing 220* and I go hit the highway and let it lock up....it wont drop any.....likewise....if I full throttle blast it a couple times one the highway it wont go up in temp..? However I was sitting in the drive-through and it was a steady 220-221*....when I pulled out it went up and spiked at 237*!!...and ended up back down at 220*

What do you guys think is going on? I only spent $300 on this trans so its not the end of the world, but its weird to me to see the high temps yet it shifts fine even under WOT.... Advice?..

 

A couple things to add would be that I have touched the lines at the cooler up front and they are hot, so I know the fluid is circulating, and also when I shut it down...I can watch the temps go down almost a degree per second from the 220 or so, so i guess the gauge is working...

 

Well you will get the warmest temperatures at that port .I would guess your engine is running pretty warm also. Maybe try bypassing the radiator with a large cooler I have had excellent results with that and generally it helps with engine temps also/

 

Will I kill my tranny at those temps?...And yea, factory T-Stat...engine stays around 200-210* I guess...What size cooler should I be running?..Maybe mine is too small... http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku

 

I would bypass as I said and get the largest cooler I could fit the one you have is a tube a fin not very efficent IMO i like the flat pannel type look like a radiator the tubes are flat more contact area . The temps your seeing will not cause any short term damage contrary to popular beleif heat is a slowwww killer to do any imediate damage you need to get in the 250 plus range and remeber too with where your sending unit is your average temp which is what really important may be as much as 20 degrees cooler than you are seeing

 

Ok, I'll look into the cooler..thanks for the help!

 

Your welcome I am allways glad to asist

 

that seems kinda small for that high of a converter. I would either bypass the radiator all together or buy a B&M cooler with a fan 28000 GVR

http://www.jegs.com/p/B&M/758370/10002/-1 the 4th one from the top is what im running and the tranny sits at 186F. and at idle sits at 195. 120k miles on the engine and transmission and a 3200ss converter.

 

1) That is not the best cooler. Tube and fin coolers are less efficent than plate type cooler such as the B&M supercooler.

2) Factory T-stat and fan settings are killing you. Put a 160 in there and get your fans to come on earlier. Not only will run your tranny cooler, but you should have less KR and get a little better performance from your cam (may need some tuning to get it). Assuming you can adjust the fan settings, I'd do the T-Stat first and see how your temps react.

 

Great advice..thanks

 

So when I got home tonight I bypassed the radiator cooler, and it is strictly going through the aftermarket cooler....The temps stayed EXACTLY the same. This makes no sense to me, shouldnt it of changed one way or another? Im starting to lean towards the gauge being out of whack, or something internal to the trans being bad. Leaning more to a trans issue, as I felt the lines at the cooler, and they were good and hot, so I think it is running as hot as it says... Speed down the highway will not drop temps, though strangely enough, if I stall it up from a cruise for a couple gears, it will dropa few degrees. Maybe whatever is responsible for circulating the fluid is shot?

 

Lets hope not because thats the pump , But you may just not have near enough cooler

 

Well, heres the bad part... I bought the tranny used.... got a converter sent to me (By a sponsor)..The main hub was machined too large by just a few thou, and it damaged the bearing/bushing in the pump when we tried to install the converter (it never ran, it just wouldnt slip through the bearing)...so I had the local trans shop (reputable one) replace the bearing/bushing, and I was told they would inspect and clean out the debris caused from gouging the bearing up....they told me everything looked just fine, and I would be in good shape. Got my replacement converter in, and it went in fine, and I am at my present point.

Could they have screwed something up when they did the bearing/bushing replacement? Also, IF there was a problem with the pump, would the trans still shift great and otherwise operate fine?...

 

No it would not and the only way a trans makes heat is through the converter or by slipping clutches , I am still not convinced anythings wrong

 

Ok, Ill drop the coin on a better cooler that I need anyway, and see where we stand. Maybe thats all it is, because she drives great and will kill tires on the 1-2 so its far from slipping. Would you say this one is a good choice??.. http://www.jegs.com/i/B%26M/130/70266/10002/-1/748083|10535 Thanks again...What do you send with your trannys? PM me if you would like.

 

thats what I did to mine and the trans temps are a nice steady 190-200 in the summer with a hayden race series cooler and a fan mounted on it just in case. I can't bypass my stock cooler/heater because I drive my car in the winter and need the stock one to heat the fluid up or else it will never get hot enough for the PCM to command Lockup in the winter.

 

Purchased a 28,000 stacked plate cooler. I'll let you guys know how it does.

 

I run 2 aftermarket coolers and bypassed the radiator.....tranny never sees over 150...ocassionally in the summer it MIGHT see 175, but no more.

 

Interesting thread here as I’m having a similar problem in my A4 Vette. I’ve got a 3200 vig and a blower. The front mounted intercooler takes away any possibility of putting the cooler anywhere easy/logical for air to flow over it.

I originally had a small shi**y B&M cooler mounted in front of my passenger side brake duct and lines passing through the radiator- good airflow over the cooler, but it was small, inefficient and the fluid was constantly passing through a hot radiator. I too was told to by-pass the radiator and that would help. My temps were about 185-190 on the freeway, locked up- and about 205-215,220 when around with relatively “moderate” driving.

I then purchased the B&M 70297- which is much bigger and has a fan. I installed it in the only obvious area it would fit and as suggested by some other people- inside the drivers side front quarter panel. That’s no bueno- there’s minimal/no air flow to it….and most of it is dead air. I’m not sure why the hell I thought that would work. I also bypassed the radiator at the same time. The results here were even worse- it runs 200 at 70mph and will climb to 215-220 with relative ease, although I haven’t driven it much sense the install.

So, then I ordered the B&M 70298 with a 150 degree thermo switch (part # DER-16749 on Summit) that will turn the fan on at 150 vs. the 175 as it comes from B&M- same fan/cooler, but just a little smaller than above which will allow me to mount it back in front of the brake duct and get fresh air running over it. I think with the combo of the fresh air, the 150 degree thermo switch and with the lines by-passing the radiator I’m gonna be ok. I think this will make a big difference. I’ll let you know on Sunday. Ultimately, I would like to run 2 coolers as someone listed above- that's a beautiful thing.

 

Im in las vegas with 110 temp out side my c5 was running 210 on the trans temp. I just in stalled the B&M 29000 cooler now on 110 day im at 172.