Well I just read the first 4 threads in the trans forum and 3 of them are about hot trannys. Anyhow here goes mine. Today I was driving for about an hour and the tranny seemed much hotter than usual up to about 200 outside temp about 90. When I get home I park and I smell transmission fluid so I look under the truck and there is tranny fluid all over the place on the drivers side of the transmission. Looked like it was coming up high on the left side of the tranny. I check the fluid level and I about a quart high. I drain some out and recheck. I let the truck sit for a couple hours and go out to do some errands, and the tranny temp still is up to 190 to 200, but no more fluid is coming out. I rechecked the level when i got home and all is well, but it seems to be running hotter than normal. Could I have done any damage by having too much fluid in, and do my temps seem normal?

Thanks in advance

I don't know about damage but the temps sound high to me. I don't watch it that closely unless I'm towing but it seems to stay at or below 150 even this summer. I just returned (literally 20 minutes ago) from a 250 mile adventure with about 5K in tow. At the top of a long grade (2 mile, 4%), with the temp outside reading 105, the tranny never went above 190. At the bottom I got stuck in about 10 miles of stop and go with no change in tranny temp. I've actually never seen mine above 190.

The temps here the last couple of days have been in the 90-98* range and my trans temp has been in the 190-200* area. I think the owners manual states that the normal operating temp for the trans is 160-200*.

in stop and go traffic unloaded mine will get to 200. on the highway it stays about 175. temps here in the high 90's with heat index of 105.

Are you running stop and go traffic without being in tow/haul? If so, the Torque Converter is not locked up, and will generate a great deal of heat.

Are you running stop and go traffic without being in tow/haul? If so, the Torque Converter is not locked up, and will generate a great deal of heat.

Acutually no I was on some back roads near my house. They were fairly level not to much shifting a few down shifts and going up through the gears accelerating out of corners, but speeds were btw. 40 and 50 mph.

Have you checked your fluild level? If it's overfilled you'll see high temps.

Yes, It was overfilled. I have since corrected the fluid level, but it still seems to run a bit hot.

118 in PHX today 200 highway 210 stop and go w/ 6000lb. boat

I apologize, I should have read your whole thread as you answered my question before I asked it.

Being overfilled won't damage anything but it will make a mess when it foams up and spews out the breather (as it did in your case). 190 to 200 is a little high, you might want to make sure the transcooler is getting good air flow and the lines don't have any kinks. If that doesn't help you might want to check the cooler circuit to make sure it's not plugged up..

Where exactely is the breather? Mine was puked fluid all ober the left side.

It's at the rear of the trans on the driver's side. Look on top for a little silver mushroom cap.

Has any one installed a extra tranny cooler yet? I tow my tow hauler over OR coast range pretty frequently and this last time temp reached ~200 when outside temp was ~90, and notice leaking coming form the vent. Will an external cooler help extend the tranny life???

I'm not an expert by any stretch but I put on the Mike L tranny cooler and mine ran 188 degrees at the hottest with a gross wt of 16,900 pounds from the Colorado river to Yosemite in the Sierras outside temp 95 degrees up some big grades. It cools right off too on the flat.......70-75mph as the traffic and conditions would bare. It certainly can't hurt running cooler, I might add I charged all the hills up to 1300 egt.

I just got back to NJ from a 6000 mile camping trip with my new d/a and a 28' 5th. wheel (8000 lbs.). Trans temp stayed at 190 most of the time. 200 on 95+ degree days. No problems. It almost hit 290 going thru Colorado on rt.70 east bound going up those loooooong mountain climbs.
Cooled down ok, no leaks. But a trans flush is in my plans real soon.

What's the Mike L tranny cooler? Where did you get it?

Mike L is a supporting vendor here.

Idahofox