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Carey Frennier

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I'm looking for an inexpensive way to monitor trans temp. I've read confliting info online. Do I need to tap into the trans fluid line or trans pan to monitor temp or can this be done via a OBII plug and play device like an Aeroforce Interceptor gauge?



Any ideas?
 
OIL pan for the sensor. That is the fluid that the pump is picking up. I dont think the OBD2 ford ecu and tcm monitors tran temp. This will have to be a seperate circuit, you install.
 
I dont think the OBD2 ford ecu and tcm monitors tran temp
Click to expand...



It does on the Gen 1 Trac. I can monitor tranny temp on my Scan Gauge 2.



Carey,



Got an iPhone or Droid? Consider the Rev app or some other app for your smart phone that communicates with a wireless (bluetooth/wifi) OBD II interface.



I have a Scan Gauge 2 right now, but have also downloaded the Rev app for my iPhone and am considering buying the KiWi OBD II interface.
 
No transmission tempurature sensor on the Sport Trac, either Gen 1 or Gen 2. In fact very few vehicles have tranny temp sensors.



The Scan gauge will monitor the tranny tempurature if the vehicle is equiped with one.



Your best bet is to drill and tap the pan for a sensor, and install a separate gauge.



....Rich



 
I have a ScanGauge2 hooked up, and it IS reading a tranny temp. Seems to react as it should when towing too. Not sure what it's reading I guess...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
According to what I just read, the Gen1 and Gen2 Sport Tracs do in fact have a transmission temperature sensor. Ford has put a Termosistor in the EPC solenoid, and that signal should be available to the ScanGauge via the OBD port under the dash.



....Rich
 
Eddie,

We have members that didnt know that. They tapped their pans and installed a seperate gauge
Click to expand...



I didn't know that either until I read it??? The only difference is that you need a ScanGauge or UltraGauge to read the signal. Which probably isn't so bad since my UltraGauge only cost $59. I have mine connected to my Toyota, and it does not have a transmission temp. sensor so I can't use that function, but I really bought it to monitor gas mileage and CEL codes.



I have had if for several months and never calibrated it, so I did that today. I knew the factory speedometer and odometer were reading low. After I ran a 7 mile calibration run it set a calibration factor of + 1.034 for every mile. I immediately noticed I gained nearly 2 MPG improvement in my gas mileage. I had previously gotten a best of 25.5 MPG prior to the calibration. I suspect that I will get closer to 27 MPG on the highway with this new calibration setting, but it will take a few tanks to tell for sure.



...Rich
 
Does the calibration adjust what the in-dash spedometer reads? I though tthe scangauge could do that, but I didn't know if the ultragauge could.



Strange that a newer car could be that much off in its reading :cry:
 
KL,

No the UltraGauge only adjust the speedometer and odometer readings on the UltraGauge, NOT the vehicles speedometer or odometer reading. Stock speed sensor can be calibrated by programming the ECU computer with an adjustment factor setting, but the UltraGauge uses only the raw speed sensor data and ignores any speed adjustment factors programmed into the factory ECU.



I don't think that the factory speedometer was that far off (less than 1 MPH) based on my GPS unit. The problem was that the UltraGauge was never calibrated when I originally installed it several months ago. During that time I noticed that while the stock speedometer and my GPS were showing that I was doing 60 MPH, the UltraGauge was saying I was only going 57-58 MPH. That error also effects the UltraGauge for distance traveled and computing MPG.



The Toyota is a 2002 with 155K miles so it is not that new, and I am not the original owner. But the Speedometer and odometer seemed to match closely with the speed and distance shown on my GPS, and it was only the UltraGauge speed readings that were way off.



When I did the calibration, I drove 7 miles measured by the mile-markers on the Interstate, and confirmed that distance on my GPS but the UltraGauge only registered 6.62 miles? That really suprised me that it was that far off. When I corrected the mileage to 7.00 miles the UltraGauge indicated a speedometer correction factor of +1.034, or just lttle over a 3% error.



Now the UltraGauge, GPS and the factory Speedometer are all displaying the same speed and distance traveled, and I have already noticed an improvement in fuel mileage within the first 30-40 miles since I calibrated the unit, but that is not enough miles to get an accurate picture of the new and improved MPG.



...Rich



 
Richard,

Ihave the scangauge2. I never set it to read Trans temp. I will have to check it.

I did find that with tires(oem diameter 30.1) and gear. the oem speedo is 3mph low.

It shows this everytime I go thru the portable speed units the PD sets up.

I have checked It @ speeds up to 50mph. The scangauge2 is accurate. OEM speedo 3mph low. I dont have a GPS to check it againts though.
 
Eddie,

I don't know that much about the ScanGauge since I never had one, but my understanding is that they are very similar in their funtionality to the UltraGauge.



The UltraGauge comes with factory default settings, and as soon as you plug it in and turn on the ignition for the first time, it determines the exact ODB version you have on your vehicle and it pretty accurate and has three scrollable pages of multiple programmable displays. You have the option to manually change pages, or let the system automatically change page displays every few seconds.....but that was too annoying.



I reprogrammed all 3 screens but set if for manual mode so it stays on the main screen which gives MPH, Avg MPG, Instantanious MPG, Coolant Temp, Fuel remaining, and miles to empty. It has a lot more data than can be displayed on the only 3 screens/pages that the UltraGauge can display, but each screen has 6 different display areas. I tried to program one of the screens with the trans temp but it only showed a blank. :angry:. The manual said you will only get a reading if your system has a trans temp sensor, so I can only assume the Toyota does not have one..:cry: Oh well?



If your ScanGauge allows you to program the display screens/pages like the UltraGauge does, you should be able to get the trans temp to display. As the standard default, the UltraGauge does not normally display the Trans Temp on any screen...You have to manually reprogram one of the screens to display it. I suspect the ScanGauge may work the same way.



...Rich



 
psycareyo,

So why couldn't an Aeroforce Interceptor Gauge work with reading t he trans temp but the scangauge can?
Click to expand...



I don't know about the Aeroforce Interceptor Gauge, but if it can plug into the OBD diagnostic port under the dash, it should work. I suspect that the Aeroforce gauge is designed as a stand-alone gauge that requires a separate sending unit, and is calibrated to work with a specific sending unit.



The ScanGauge and UltraGauge are really just computers that interpret data being passed to the from the various sensors to the ECU computer. The ScanGauge and UltraGauge are simply plugged into the OBD port under the dash where they pick up the same signals as the ECU computer. To do that, these gauges must be able to interface with the sensors and the ECU computer to display the data.



...Rich
 

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