thewanderlustking Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 (edited) Everyone on the internet seems to have a different opinion as to where a transmission temperature sensor should go... So I will ask you guys. Logic told me I wanted it in the pressure line going out to the cooler. I got a GlowShift line fitting to do this. I am seeing some people saying in the pan is better as it is a more effective "average" of the temp. I am hoping to stick with the line location since I already have those parts, but would reconsider the pan if it is truly a smarter location. I found a thread on here, A43D return line that indicated the forward line is the pressure or hot line out. Looking at my transmission I would have thought it is the solid line on the left, or rear. My front line (in the middle here) has a rubber hose. It is very possible this was a bodge/fix though and that my front line actually blew at some point.... I dug out tha A43D service manual I have and it wasn't clear. I found zero reference to it. Some questions. 1) Is there supposed to be a hard line on the front feed line? (Again, assuming this is the feed. I would check but the back line is ugly and the fitting is a bit rounded so not super easy to get off) 2) If so this has sorta worked for who knows how long, should I bother replacing and fixing it? Doing it when I put the gauge adapter t-fitting in probably won't be too difficult. I just need to find the right line/fititngs and only need a very short run. 3) Is this forward line the best spot for the sensor? I think I had another question but my mind failed me so I will post it up later if it comes back to me... (This is looking from the passenger side with the front of the vehicle to the right.) ESIT FOR UPDATE: The forward line is the feed line. In this picture, it is the middle line with the rubber hose on it. Edited March 26, 2022 by thewanderlustking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Easiest place is where the tranny fluid goes into your radiator at the bottom to cool. Your getting temp right out of the trannie so it will be accurate and no issues running sensor wires to cab Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 (edited) Running wires from underneath won't be a big deal, especially since it is decently up in the air on ramps right now. Let's go look! Interesting.... This is looking down on the passenger side. I knew mine has a cooler attached to the radiator, but didn't realize it also normally went through the radiator. Mine bypasses that. I can't tell for sure but it looks like there is a broken off line on the drivers side next to the lower radiator hose. This would explain a few things... Edited March 12, 2022 by thewanderlustking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 (edited) Are you planning an air cooled trannie cooler? Your's HAD/HAS a cooler built into the lower radiator. On mine I ran both. Because I had to travel in the winter (winter here is below 0). I went to the air cooler first, then to the build in radiator cooler. The radiator cooler would warm the fluid a bit to keep the trannie happier. In the summer the air cooler would keep a lot of heat out of the system. Where the temp sender ?? Temp is the killer for ATF so you want to measure the maximum temp. Edited March 12, 2022 by WME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 (edited) I still have the original copper radiator. But it looks like the line for the internal transmission cooler is broken most of the way off. I just saw that tonight after Linda's comment when I went out to look. So I haven't given any real thought to adding it back in. I want to keep the copper radiator, they are MUCH better than modern aluminum ones. So I would need to repair the broken off nipple. Kinda low on priorities list as I don't like cold weather anyways. But if/when the radiator comes out for any reason, I will likely fix that or have the radiator shop do it. GOOD POINT on warming the fluid up enough to keep it happy in the cold though. As I think about this, I will likely make a point to do this. I kinda wanted to repaint the radiator to protect the copper anyways. I might just hand it over and have our local radiator shop clean, repair, repaint it. At the moment I don't know where the temp sender is, its somewhere in one of my piles of parts. Here is the adapter though. It goes onto one of the hard lines, so I guess whichever is the line out to the cooler(s) makes the most sense. And hard to see it, but here is my cooler up in the front. It is a reasonable size I guess. Would be super easy to put a bigger one in if needed. So I don't exactly have a (dedicated) gauge for the transmission temp... But I have something MUCH better. The temp sensor will actually get hooked up to my MegaSquirt ECU. This means that everything will get datalogged and saved. And that I can also send this data, along with any other parameter I want to watch, to my Perfect Tuning gauge on the dash. I will probably have transmission temp be one of the primary watched data sets. But I can also set warnings and alarms so it displays anything that falls outside of my safety zones. Edited March 12, 2022 by thewanderlustking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Tonight's reading assignment. Trannie coolers...https://transmissioncoolerguide.com/transmission-cooler-types/ Radiators...https://radiatorexpress.force.com/Help/s/article/why-are-aluminum-radiators-better-than-copperbrass2 I used a B&M stacked plate cooler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 Super interesting! I actually learned a good bit from the grannies cooler article. I would have a few counter arguments with the radiator one though… So yes aluminum is stronger and wider radiator tubes CAN be utilized. But in the realm of direct factory replacements, they usually aren’t very thick. In the aftermarket performance and racing industry, for sure a huge advantage. Problem is most aluminum radiators utilize plastic end caps. These are rare to last much past 10yrs without becoming brittle as the chemicals leach out or into the plastic. While they can last longer for sure, past a certain point they become easily compromised with a bump or slight overheating. Toyota is one of the WORST offenders of this too! Their telltale warning is the plastic turns brown or even tan. A well cared for copper radiator though can easily last 40+ years. I’ve worked on a few cars from the 50’s that still had their original radiators. Something has to be said for that!!! In my experience aluminum radiators are much more prone to electrolysis and getting eaten from the inside out, poor maintenance and being left to sit. Like our vehicles frequently do. Now if my copper one became damaged and not repairable, I would put in a modern aluminum one with plastic end caps. It’s what is readily and reasonably available. I would accept the short lifespan as it might be. If I found a “racing” full aluminum one at a reasonable price, yes. But I suspect I would find re-coring or replacing the copper one to be way cheaper. I don’t know and definitely not an expert. Just my personal observations over the years. I think each has their good and bad points. The transmission cooler article though definitely makes me want to fix the internal radiator cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott iv Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 I added a solid aluminum radiator in my RV (no plastic). Definitely holds a larger volume of coolant. I opted for one without a transmission cooler component and added a transmission cooler. Fins on the aluminum one are far more delicate and need to be installed with a lot of care. I will learn about performance this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 I only buy CSF all metal radiators for whatever vehicle I'm fixing. Not cheap but last as long as original. They also still make copper radiators like this one I put in my Sunrader CSF Radiator 850 CSF All-Metal Radiators | Summit Racing Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Linda's copper/brass radiator is listed for $196 from Summit. Here is a Champion all aluminum tig welded, listed factory direct $195...https://www.championradiators.com/Toyota-Pickup-4Runner-Radiator built in auto transmission cooler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 Those look really nice and the price isn’t horrible. Fortunately mine isn’t in bad shape. Yeah the transmission cooler nipple is broken off, but again I live in Florida so not horribly concerned about that being bypassed. On the other hand it wouldn’t be too hard to repair the broken off nipple…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted March 12, 2022 Author Share Posted March 12, 2022 Can anyone verify that the front line is the hot feed line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 Yes the highest one is the hottest one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted March 13, 2022 Author Share Posted March 13, 2022 I mean the line on the transmission itself. Is the line closer to the front of trans closer to the engine the hot or feed line? We are assuming whoever put the cooler in did it right… I will verify the hot is feeding into the top once I verify what line is the feed. Again trying to avoid the mess I know I am likely going to have to make to figure this out…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted March 26, 2022 Author Share Posted March 26, 2022 Yep, it is the forward line closer to the bell housing. I verified by pulling the rear line off and stuffing it into a glove, it is the return and filled it up with fluid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewanderlustking Posted April 3, 2022 Author Share Posted April 3, 2022 (edited) Alright, harness is made up for the sensor! Its kinda hard to make out the orientation on this, but the transmission is on the left and the front is the bottom of the picture. I tried to peel pff the old tape so I could slide the wire underneath, but in the end the rubber just disintegrated. I almost had it too. I don't have it hooked up inside the cab yet, as it will be going to my Perfect Tuning Gauge for the MegaSquirt. I am not sure it matters as I think I can send it directly to the gauge if I want. But I am uncertain if I do this if it will also be logged in my datalogs. If I send it to the MS first, I know it will be logged. Tackling this part now while it is still up on ramps. I can sort that out later. I have a couple more things to do tonight, and then I will fire it up and leak test. Edited April 3, 2022 by thewanderlustking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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