I just bought Auto Meter Oil and Trans temp gauges. While I was under the car today getting covered with coolant, I noticed that there's pretty much no place to put these gauges unless I drill holes in the pans.

I've got an aftermarket trans oil cooler, and will be installing an aftermarket engine oil cooler soon. Can I tee the senders into the supply lines to the coolers? On my VW the VDO oil temp kit comes with the tee and everything, so I was wondering if there'd be a huge temperature drop if I teed in since the lines on the Iroc are a lot longer. I'm guessing no, since it's a flowing liquid and stainless steel doesn't have a ridiculously good thermal transfer.

 

Well, I had test (not permently mounted) oil temp gauges on my eng. (355) and my trans (700R4) for a month last year and I suddenly realized that the oil temps ran vary, vary close to my coolent temp so I removed them. Oh, 1984 Z28.

Auggie

 

Yeah, I was told that'd happen after I bought the gauge. I figure I might as well run it anyway since the stock gauge doesn't have a display as graduated as the Auto Meter unit.

Where did you mount your senders?

 

Well, for the eng. oil temp I used the oil pan drain plug. For the trans I removed the oil pan and brazed a fitting on it. I can't remember where I put that fitting but make sure the sending unit clears the valve body ect, ect.

Auggie

 

Both senders "should" be mounted in the pans but isn't always required.

My tranny sender is mounted in the "return" line. I want to know if the oil is being cooled enough before it gets back to the tranny.

 

AutoMeter offers a Tran manifold that does that very thing that Stephen is talking about, but you can save yourself some money, and hit up Home Depot for a lot cheaper brass fittings.

I mounted my oil pressure up top, and the oil temp above the filter, trannie temp on return line with AN's & proflex. Works for me.

Ron

 

In the tranny, does it pump the fluid to the cooler, then the tranny uses it, or does the cooled fluid go into the pan? I'd like to put the sender on the line that the tranny uses the fluid from. For some kind of indication of what the fluid inside the tranny is at.

Well, since I just put in a Griffin radiator, my stock oil cooler is now useless. I'm going to buy an aftermarket cooler to put in it's place, and I'll plumb the oil temp sensor off that.

Thanks for the info.

 

Path of oil flow:

Oil in the pan is sucked up into the pump. It is then pushed through the cooler then back to the tranny as line pressure. After the tranny uses the oil for the clutches it drops back into the pan.

 

Ahhh, ok. So the return line it is. Thanks.