I have the 2.8 V6 and I notice the cooler lines go into the radiator and then out. The only thing I do not understand is there is a port that comes out of the radiator below the upper cooler line. There is a bolt in the port that plugs it. I would like to take that bolt out and put in a temperature sender for the transmission temp. Would I be correct in doing so?

 

You really want to read the temp before the fluid enters the cooler. A really trick setup is to run two senders, one before, and one after and use a toggle switch to go between them.

I've got no clue what that port's for. Tranny coolers in the radiator are just a small tank that allows the heat to be exchanged into the coolant. They usually only have an in and an out. Sometimes they are just a few loops of hard line in the end tank.

 

Yeah I thought it would be more accurate in the tranny which I could just use one of the many test ports for the sender. Interesting idea for the senders though with the toggle switch. I guess you just set up the toggle with the two sender wires.

 

Exactly. I read about it in a 4X4 magazine a while back. Those guys are paranoid about their trans temps, especially the guys that tow their rockcrawler across a couple states to run trails. It's no fun being stranded out in the middle of some state you don't even know.

 

I found a link to a page which shows what I think best represents my radiator. This link is for a replacement radiator to my car. http://www.rockauto.com/ref/GoDan/De...tml?433919.jpg It says sensor fitting w/plug on RH tank. It's a toss up for me just seems so convenient but then again not as accurate as being in the tranny.

 

the plug at the top is for the heater hose used on the v-8 cars, if you put a sender in there it will just tell you the coolant temperature, not the tranny fluid... all the tranny cooler in the radiator is ,is a pipe that does a quick in and out loop and thats it. b&m makes a kit that installes a tranny temp gauge corectly in the tranny line .....

heres the kit ive used in the past......


http://store.summitracing.com/produc...%20temperature

 

I don't think he's talking about the heater hose connection. That's a big 3/4" NPT threaded hole at the top of the tank. What he mentioned was a hole between the cooler lines. The question is does it go into the trans cooler tank or just the end tank of the radiator. I would try and fish a piece of wire through the plug and the trans cooler line hole to see if it actually taps into the trans cooler tank. If it doesn't I wouldn't use it for a trans temp gauge. If it does it would be an easy place to stick a sender, albeit not totally accurate.

 

Thanks for the ideas but the easiest idea such as mine isn't always the best. It shouldn't be that hard if I decide to just install it in the tranny.