Tranny Temp on 07 Tahoe

[jaytee1456]

Hey guys...I'm a newbie here, but I need some help. I'm towing a 23ft Superlite Toy Hauler with the Tahoe and I notice the trans temp is getting up to about 245*F. So far this has been the absolute highest it's gotten, but I'm a little concerned to say the least. Should I be worried? Would you guys suggest a better trans cooler than the stock set-up? Everything else is just fine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Rafael]

Doesn't sound bad to me.
Mine gets to 230* on long steep uphills with nothing being towed.
The manual, as expected, is no help. It would be nice to know what temp is considered too high.

 

[jaytee1456]

Yeah I'd like to know what would be considered "pull over" temperatures. I've heard that the Dextron VI is supposedly good for temps well into the 300's, but I'm not sure how credible that is. Is anyone else out there seeing the same thing? Thanks.

 

[Rollin Thunder]

i read in my manual that te computer will tell you via the DIC when its to hot and you need to pull over.

 

[TN Tahoe]

i read in my manual that te computer will tell you via the DIC when its to hot and you need to pull over.

I saw that in mine to but, It would be nice to know a head of time what your limit is and how close you are to the shutdown point :skep:

 

[wedtwuk]

I just returned from a 2500 mile trip in my 07 LTZ 5.3 towing a 17 foot Starcraft tent trailer. Basic transmission temperatures were between 176-194. Going up steep hills it got up to 234. I added a transmission cooler before I started the trip. It is mounted under the vehicle so it is probably not as effective as if it were in front of the radiator.

 

[LAP TOP GAMER]

I just think it would be able to know the limits, if any one knows please chime in, ummm GM Geek any ideas here?

 

[jaytee1456]

wedtwuk - Is it fairly easy to install an additional trans cooler? I'm really thinkin about doing that just to be on the safe side. Thanks for everyone's input on this.

 

[wedtwuk]

I really didn't want to get involved with installing the tranny cooler myself. I had an RV repair place do it and I'm really happy with what they did. i was concerned with the impact of putting another radiator in front of the water and a/c radiators. What they did was to cut out a piece of the hard plastic cover that is mounted up under the front of the engine. They mounted the tranny cooler to the remaining material. I fabricated a cover to keep rocks, etc. out of it. I made it from a piece of 1/4" heavy fencing that I bought from Home Depot. I used the original bolts that hold the plasic piece to its support to hold the wore in place. It works great! Airflow would be better if I had mounted it in front of the other radiators but it works fine as is. be aware that you can now buy a tranny cooler with a built-in cooling fan that can be mounted almost anywhere so your options ar epretty much unlimited. I chose not to do this because I really feel that the Tahoe electrical system is on the edge as it is and didn't want to place any more burden on it.

 

[73shark]

Max Tranny Temp

Here's what I found from another forum by a GM fellow:

"All new 2007 Tahoe’s use the GM 4L60-E transmission.
The normal operating temperature is 175 - 200 degrees F

If you are towing or climbing steep grades in summer heat you may notice that your transmission temperature will exceed 200F, keep in mind that heat kills transmissions.

Generally speaking anything hotter then 225F is getting into the dangerous zone, once your transmission gets over 300F it will fail normally within a few hundred miles.


So keep an eye on your Tranny temp gauge and if it goes over 225F then I wouldn't waste any time adding a cooler, just be careful as I have seen many poorly installed coolers develop leaks and smoke tranny's."

Hope this helps.

 

[jaytee1456]

Thanks for all the help guys. It looks like a more efficient trans cooler will be necessary just to be safe. I'll keep you guys posted on how it all works out.

 

[wedtwuk]

Here's a link that talks in gereralities about tranny temperature and life. It is not specific to the Tahoe but it does give you a pretty good idea of what effect high temps have on a tranny.


http://autos.yahoo.com/maintain/repairqa/transmission/ques123_0.html