Trans Temp Sender/Gauge

[RS_SS350]

Hi all,

A long while back when I installed my BTO 2004r, I installed a temp sender in the pan. When the car is running, the temp slowly climbs up to max temp on the gauge. The fluid is not burning, so I am definitely getting an inaccurate read. From what i've read, it would be something that happens if something is grounded.

The wire from the sender through the firewall is in good condition and I'm not seeing it touch the chassis or grounding anywhere. The sender is in the fitting that's bolted into the pan, i used plumber tape to make sure it doesn't leak. Could this be the problem? ANy other suggestions on getting this gauge to read accurate?

Thanks!
Rob

 

[Rene Melten]

Try taking the t-tape off and use a liquid type pipe sealer it may ground better that way.

 

[ssupercoolss]

I probably have the same gauge and sender. its a cool gauge, but i dont trust it. i had some weird electrical issues, one of which, was turning on the AC/fan made that gauge jump up 10 degrees instantly. i started going through and making sure things were grounded properly. once i got a nice ground to the firewall, that stopped happening. In the summer i can get that gauge up past 180, but whenever i take an IR thermometer to the pan, right by the sender, i always get 160-165 degrees. i feel your pain. a gauge reading improperly is hard to ignore.

 

[RS_SS350]

I probably have the same gauge and sender. its a cool gauge, but i dont trust it. i had some weird electrical issues, one of which, was turning on the AC/fan made that gauge jump up 10 degrees instantly. i started going through and making sure things were grounded properly. once i got a nice ground to the firewall, that stopped happening. In the summer i can get that gauge up past 180, but whenever i take an IR thermometer to the pan, right by the sender, i always get 160-165 degrees. i feel your pain. a gauge reading improperly is hard to ignore.

Yeah, my worry is that something else in the car may be shorting to ground, causing this issue. I would not even know where to get started on tracking that down. Maybe I will isolate this circuit on its own and see how it behaves.

 

[RS_SS350]

Try taking the t-tape off and use a liquid type pipe sealer it may ground better that way.

Actually, just realized I did use the putty type thread sealer. I:ll try with no sealer.or perhaps only on the outermost threads so that most of the thread is coming into contact with the fitting.

 

[ssupercoolss]

How much is a new sender? just thinking....if you are taking the pan down.......you know....while you are in there, and maybe it will keep you from doing it later.

 

[RS_SS350]

How much is a new sender? just thinking....if you are taking the pan down.......you know....while you are in there, and maybe it will keep you from doing it later.

Hmm, good call. It very well could also be the sender and gauge are mismatched? I got the sender from BTO, and they provided a gauge, which I didn:t use. I used an Autometer instead to match the rest of my gauges. So now I:m looking at the autometer senders, and there are specific ones for different year and type gauges - so for $15 I:ll make sure it:s matched up. (if you:re wondering why i:m using colons instead of apostrophes it:s because my keyboard is seriously messed up!).

 

[Mountaineer]

The Autometer sender is the same sender for any of their temp gauges, oil, water, etc., and usually screws into a larger brass fitting, which is mounted wherever (intake manifold, trans pan, etc.). Just change that sending unit. The sending unit should not have to be grounded to work.

 

[camarolife78]

I would order the autometer sender, the gauges are all matched to the senders of each brand, mixing different senders with different gauges will cause false readings.