Trans Temps

[Grumpaw]

Funny I never see trans temps that high unless I am pulling but I do see coolant temps higher don't know what the outside temp is where you are but he right now we are staying in the low 90s. Normally I see trans temps around or less than your coolant temps just driving around.

There are many variables to consider when comparing....those temps I posted are from stop and go traffic, not heavy but enough to cause temps to rise. If that same 20 miles were on the interstate I doubt if temps would get higher than around 195 or so.
Hot here for this time in Virginia....hitting 95 today, possible 98-100 tomorrow.
I really really do not worry....Truck is running fine, and AC blowing ice cold !!!

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[4x4 Ranger Man]

There are many variables to consider when comparing....those temps I posted are from stop and go traffic, not heavy but enough to cause temps to rise. If that same 20 miles were on the interstate I doubt if temps would get higher than around 195 or so.
Hot here for this time in Virginia....hitting 95 today, possible 98-100 tomorrow.
I really really do not worry....Truck is running fine, and AC blowing ice cold !!!

@Grumpaw It is just my engineering brain that makes me question why I guess. I have all the stuff to make the changes to the transmission I think will help there. I have moved on to the coolant side of things now, I know I should not see coolant temps as high as I see. I understand under acceleration with a load it should climb but come back down quick. To me I am not getting all the cooling I should with the radiator.

 

[awd.nv]

Just got back from towing in 105-110F temps, decent headwind going home where I needed to keep it at 60mph rather than 68mph.

On the way to Utah which overall is a slight elevation increase of 1800ft overall the coolant temp got to 235F at some parts and trans roughly 225-235f. Really short periods of time but the funny thing is the IC water temp gauge only moved to about middle.

I have seen this before, I usually slow down when temps get that way on a climb but I have no idea what Ford considers hot, I would expect that to be over half way to 3/4 way to over heating. I switched to the head temp and think it was around 190-200F and I think people here have said 220F for cyl head temp is ok?

Either way, this trip reminded me why I wanted to do a radiator upgrade. Seen similar results going to Havasu, AZ in the summer. I figure if Ford thinks people should only know their coolant is half way on the gauge I do not read too far into these temps, but I want the upgraded radiator for peace of mind. The truck is more than capable towing otherwise.

Thankfully the trailer AC kept things between 68-72F

 

[4x4 Ranger Man]

Just got back from towing in 105-110F temps, decent headwind going home where I needed to keep it at 60mph rather than 68mph.

On the way to Utah which overall is a slight elevation increase of 1800ft overall the coolant temp got to 235F at some parts and trans roughly 225-235f. Really short periods of time but the funny thing is the IC water temp gauge only moved to about middle.

I have seen this before, I usually slow down when temps get that way on a climb but I have no idea what Ford considers hot, I would expect that to be over half way to 3/4 way to over heating. I switched to the head temp and think it was around 190-200F and I think people here have said 220F for cyl head temp is ok?

Either way, this trip reminded me why I wanted to do a radiator upgrade. Seen similar results going to Havasu, AZ in the summer. I figure if Ford thinks people should only know their coolant is half way on the gauge I do not read too far into these temps, but I want the upgraded radiator for peace of mind. The truck is more than capable towing otherwise.

Thankfully the trailer AC kept things between 68-72F

They say coolant temps between 195 to 220 are normal going up to 230 to 235 towing but reduce down if you reduce the load. Yes a radiator upgrade is on my mind since I want to go out your way to Colorado and Utah.
This is the one I am thinking about.
https://mountuneusa.com/products/mountune-triple-pass-radiator-upgrade-ford-ranger

I am 100% sure i will over heat going up grade one thing that will help is I am looking to go in October so temps will cool down quite a bit then. I do good at 55 mph even at mid 90s but if I get on it it climbs quickly to 225 to 235. I am not comfortable with the temps I am seeing with just a short trip to Huntsville Tx from my house.

 

[4x4 Ranger Man]

They say coolant temps between 195 to 220 are normal going up to 230 to 235 towing but reduce down if you reduce the load. Yes a radiator upgrade is on my mind since I want to go out your way to Colorado and Utah.
This is the one I am thinking about.
https://mountuneusa.com/products/mountune-triple-pass-radiator-upgrade-ford-ranger

I am 100% sure i will over heat going up grade one thing that will help is I am looking to go in October so temps will cool down quite a bit then. I do good at 55 mph even at mid 90s but if I get on it it climbs quickly to 225 to 235. I am not comfortable with the temps I am seeing with just a short trip to Huntsville Tx from my house.

Well To heck with I did it new radiator on the way. with the discount code and $50 dollars back for getting a Paypal CC I plaid less than $275 for it.

 

[4x4 Ranger Man]

Well everything is ordered now this weekend time to tackle the trans and then on the the radiator after that, more later as I move through the process.

 

[awd.nv]

They say coolant temps between 195 to 220 are normal going up to 230 to 235 towing but reduce down if you reduce the load. Yes a radiator upgrade is on my mind since I want to go out your way to Colorado and Utah.
This is the one I am thinking about.
https://mountuneusa.com/products/mountune-triple-pass-radiator-upgrade-ford-ranger

I am 100% sure i will over heat going up grade one thing that will help is I am looking to go in October so temps will cool down quite a bit then. I do good at 55 mph even at mid 90s but if I get on it it climbs quickly to 225 to 235. I am not comfortable with the temps I am seeing with just a short trip to Huntsville Tx from my house.

Man, Utah is a nice state. I have mostly been around different spots off the 15fwy. I want to make it to Moab one of these years.

Same boat here. I was considering the Mountune or Mishimoto radiator, need to look into them more but between either of them it is probably a safe bet. I feel that if I am in there I should do the intercooler too so there is no heat soak on the intake side as well. Which is why I keep procrastinating.

Temps in October you should be golden though, even in that 110F weather, if it was flat at 68mph I had no issues, going home with the 20mph headwind (+30mph gust per wind app) it really required me to go 60mph and sometimes I did 58mph. It is a 75mph 2 hwy and most everyone is doing +80mph so it kinda sucks being THAT guy but whatever. Some big rigs would pass and some slowed me down.

The truck could have easily kept at 65mph but the headwind was making temps stay over 230F and I try to be at under 230F. I ended up in the 7mpg range going home when I was like 10.2mpg going there while increasing elevation along the way.

The truck has the power but the cooling is just barely enough for towing in these conditions.

 

[awd.nv]

Well everything is ordered now this weekend time to tackle the trans and then on the the radiator after that, more later as I move through the process.

Curious on the update, I am thinking about the Mountune radiator since it is on sale. We have a trip to Idaho this summer towing which will be the longest trip towing.

Just got back from Newport beach, CA to Vegas and going back home temps did it an uncomfortable 230F on the engine, temp gauge I don't remember if it even moved to center lol but cooler temps won't hurt, plus probably keep the engine oil a little cooler too. Peak ambient temps were 118F and generally she was in the 220F range but once it gets close to 230F I dont like it.

The trans I think peaked at 238-240F when the engine temps were at their hottest, otherwise they mirrored eachother when the engine was in the 220F range. When the Engine dropped to 180F on the downhill portions the trans was slow to go down but would get back to the 200-210F range eventually (Downhill). For large parts of the drive both engine and trans were in the 220F range.

I was thinking if all I got was a 10F reduction, I would be ok with that.

 

[TJC]

I've read that optimal 10R80 transmission temp is 160F-170F. I'd be happy with 180F.

 

[Frenchy]

I've read that optimal 10R80 transmission temp is 160F-170F. I'd be happy with 180F.

Where did you read that?

 

[TJC]

Several automotive engineers being interviewed. I'll try to find the links. During my transmission nightmare I did a great deal of research trying to determine my best option to head off a complete transmission failure. I actually stopped driving the truck for over 6 months until I had a solid handle on my course of action.

BTW, I am well aware of the Ford Spec of 206F-215F operating temp range. I also know that Ford recommends never changing the transmission fluid; that it is good for the life of the transmission.

I take both of those statements with a grain of salt.

Here is one example, but there were several more (still looking)

FM: How much does heat play a part in the 10R80’s longevity?​

​

JB: Cooling is a huge part of keeping the 10R80 alive and working well. I run a transmission cooler on anything above 700 horsepower. For a more intense transmission cooler, I run the Derale external transmission cooler mounted underneath the trunk with a fan. In most cases, I wire the fan to run continuously, regardless of whether I’m racing or just riding around town.​

​

I also take out the thermal bypass, which lets the transmission fluid get to a certain temperature. The 10R80 works best at 150-160 degrees –anything cooler and the transmission gets finicky. With the thermal bypass removed, the fluid is allowed to flow all the time and is essentially creating a cooling process.​

​

Another interesting tidbot from NextGen Transmission. I only got to 12K before craziness set in... not drivable at 18K. 3 partial fluid changes in the next 2500 miles got me to 92% clean fluid and a normal transmission (with LubeGard Platinum). The last change was PPE deep pan and filter replacement.

Q: What are the service intervals of a 10 Speed Ford 10R80 transmission?​

​

A: It is our advice that this transmission is hot-flushed and a complete fluid and filter change is executed every 25,000 miles on average. Extraordinary applications may want to perform these services more frequently, whereas highway exclusive applications can safely push a bit further between services.​

​

Top 5 Ways to Extend the Life of your Factory Transmission

Tip #2 - Minimize Average Operating Temperature (AOT)​

​

A comparably important factor for the health and lifespan of a transmission is controlling it's exposure to heat. Excess heat is one of the largest causes of unexpected transmission failure. This is especially prevalent in heavy towing as well as power-added applications. Frequent exposure to temperatures in excess of 200 degrees will aggressively detract from transmission lifespan.​

 

[awd.nv]

Several automotive engineers being interviewed. I'll try to find the links. During my transmission nightmare I did a great deal of research trying to determine my best option to head off a complete transmission failure. I actually stopped driving the truck for over 6 months until I had a solid handle on my course of action.

BTW, I am well aware of the Ford Spec of 206F-215F operating temp range. I also know that Ford recommends never changing the transmission fluid; that it is good for the life of the transmission.

I take both of those statements with a grain of salt.

Here is one example, but there were several more (still looking)

FM: How much does heat play a part in the 10R80’s longevity?​

​

JB: Cooling is a huge part of keeping the 10R80 alive and working well. I run a transmission cooler on anything above 700 horsepower. For a more intense transmission cooler, I run the Derale external transmission cooler mounted underneath the trunk with a fan. In most cases, I wire the fan to run continuously, regardless of whether I’m racing or just riding around town.​

​

I also take out the thermal bypass, which lets the transmission fluid get to a certain temperature. The 10R80 works best at 150-160 degrees –anything cooler and the transmission gets finicky. With the thermal bypass removed, the fluid is allowed to flow all the time and is essentially creating a cooling process.​

​

Another interesting tidbot from NextGen Transmission. I only got to 12K before craziness set in... not drivable at 18K. 3 partial fluid changes in the next 2500 miles got me to 92% clean fluid and a normal transmission (with LubeGard Platinum). The last change was PPE deep pan and filter replacement.

Q: What are the service intervals of a 10 Speed Ford 10R80 transmission?​

​

A: It is our advice that this transmission is hot-flushed and a complete fluid and filter change is executed every 25,000 miles on average. Extraordinary applications may want to perform these services more frequently, whereas highway exclusive applications can safely push a bit further between services.​

​

Top 5 Ways to Extend the Life of your Factory Transmission

Tip #2 - Minimize Average Operating Temperature (AOT)​

​

A comparably important factor for the health and lifespan of a transmission is controlling it's exposure to heat. Excess heat is one of the largest causes of unexpected transmission failure. This is especially prevalent in heavy towing as well as power-added applications. Frequent exposure to temperatures in excess of 200 degrees will aggressively detract from transmission lifespan.​

Well, now that I have a Mishi radiator on the way, I will have to look into the Bypass he mentioned. I agree though, this trans doesn't like being under 140-150F.

I am due for a trans flush again but was thinking about the PPE standard pan (+2qts) rather than the full on deep pan. The thing is, with 60k miles, I think I will just leave the trans stock until outside warranty. I dunno, I don't trust Ford to not blame a pan on my trans failing.

 

[Frenchy]

Several automotive engineers being interviewed. I'll try to find the links. During my transmission nightmare I did a great deal of research trying to determine my best option to head off a complete transmission failure. I actually stopped driving the truck for over 6 months until I had a solid handle on my course of action.

BTW, I am well aware of the Ford Spec of 206F-215F operating temp range. I also know that Ford recommends never changing the transmission fluid; that it is good for the life of the transmission.

I take both of those statements with a grain of salt.

Here is one example, but there were several more (still looking)

FM: How much does heat play a part in the 10R80’s longevity?​

​

JB: Cooling is a huge part of keeping the 10R80 alive and working well. I run a transmission cooler on anything above 700 horsepower. For a more intense transmission cooler, I run the Derale external transmission cooler mounted underneath the trunk with a fan. In most cases, I wire the fan to run continuously, regardless of whether I’m racing or just riding around town.​

​

I also take out the thermal bypass, which lets the transmission fluid get to a certain temperature. The 10R80 works best at 150-160 degrees –anything cooler and the transmission gets finicky. With the thermal bypass removed, the fluid is allowed to flow all the time and is essentially creating a cooling process.​

​

Another interesting tidbot from NextGen Transmission. I only got to 12K before craziness set in... not drivable at 18K. 3 partial fluid changes in the next 2500 miles got me to 92% clean fluid and a normal transmission (with LubeGard Platinum). The last change was PPE deep pan and filter replacement.

Q: What are the service intervals of a 10 Speed Ford 10R80 transmission?​

​

A: It is our advice that this transmission is hot-flushed and a complete fluid and filter change is executed every 25,000 miles on average. Extraordinary applications may want to perform these services more frequently, whereas highway exclusive applications can safely push a bit further between services.​

​

Top 5 Ways to Extend the Life of your Factory Transmission

Tip #2 - Minimize Average Operating Temperature (AOT)​

​

A comparably important factor for the health and lifespan of a transmission is controlling it's exposure to heat. Excess heat is one of the largest causes of unexpected transmission failure. This is especially prevalent in heavy towing as well as power-added applications. Frequent exposure to temperatures in excess of 200 degrees will aggressively detract from transmission lifespan.​

As much as I will agree to an extent of the fluid change interval(my own experience with Nissan), I still question the other data a bit. I'm curious how he got to those findings. Don't get me wrong as I do believe a transmission that is cooler than 200°F is usually going to last longer than one running hotter than that, but I'm curious how he got his finding since it seems he is running a race car over a street car.

 

[TJC]

As much as I will agree to an extent of the fluid change interval(my own experience with Nissan), I still question the other data a bit. I'm curious how he got to those findings. Don't get me wrong as I do believe a transmission that is cooler than 200°F is usually going to last longer than one running hotter than that, but I'm curious how he got his finding since it seems he is running a race car over a street car.

You may very well be correct, but I want my transmission running well under 200F. I'd be happy at 180F.

I had several other sources including the 160F-180F temp reference which I haven't found yet. I only know what I have read, and what I've experienced.... I didn't even get to 25K on my truck, and I babied it. About 10K of the first 15K was highway cruising at no more than 75mph, and most at 55-60mph. All of it on flat ground.

 

[awd.nv]

As much as I will agree to an extent of the fluid change interval(my own experience with Nissan), I still question the other data a bit. I'm curious how he got to those findings. Don't get me wrong as I do believe a transmission that is cooler than 200°F is usually going to last longer than one running hotter than that, but I'm curious how he got his finding since it seems he is running a race car over a street car.

I have accepted that Ford is ok with 220F but it was weird considering our old 2016 Honda Pilot AWD would rarely break 200F towing the same trailer we have and that had a ZF 9 speed. I think the hottest I ever saw was like 210F maybe? Meanwhile in stop and go I can get 210F in the Ranger during the summer. Towing 220-230F seems normal the same trailer.

Funny enough, the flying wrenches guy (I think) showed a tear down of a 10R80 they were rebuilding due to all these 10R80 issues and the clutches looked new. Was something like a 100k trans too. He said they usually don't replace the clutches and mentioned the CDF drum and valve body as the main issues.

He does make his own parts though
https://nextgendiesel.com/collections/10r80-transmissions-transmission-parts

Just think the $10k 10R80 plus $4k core charge is a bit excessive for the Ranger.

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