ManyMods

Now that I have my trans valve body reprogrammed I want to install a trans temperature gauge. There is a wrong way and a right way to do this. The wrong way is to put the sensor bulb in the oil pan --- the readings will not be accurate. The right way is to install the sensor in the outlet cooler line, and IMO, as close to the trans as possible, although the temperature variation will be minimal if you install it closer to the cooler. Anyway, my choice is to splice into the steel cooler line closer to the trans. The problem is that the lines are 10mm OD steel and most compression fittings are 3/8. In my other cars I had custom temperature manifold T-blocks made, but this time I bought the Autometer PN 2286 Trans Temperature Manifold for $35.00 from www.egauges.com. The sealing nuts and ferrules are for 3/8” tubing, although the ID of the nut and ferrule is 10mm, that is 1mm too small for the cooler line on the 4Runner. Sure, I could get a couple of 3/8 x ½ NPT barbed connectors and be done with it but I still want to splice into the steel cooler line, as I said before. The problem is that no one knows where to get the proper fittings. What I want to know is, if I can locate the proper fittings to get this done, is anyone else as obstinate as I am, and would they want those fittings? An interesting footnote to my interest in monitoring the trans temp is that I was talking to a guy who has a Mitsubishi SUV and it has an OE trans temp idiot light. He said it has come on a few times while he was driving and the Mfg says that when that happens he is suppose to stop and wait a few minutes before driving further. Actually, as long as the temp does not go above 200F there is no problem. I usually run between 150F – 180F on my other rides. I think I am close to getting the right fittings so after I get them and see how well the installation works I will report back. Oh yeah, if anyone here is ahead of me on this I would really like to know.

ManyMods

Here is a picture of the Autometer PN 2286 Transmission Temperature Manifold.

ManyMods

I am getting closer to locating the Fluid Connector fittings I need for the transmission temperature manifold installation. The fittings are steel and have 1/2 NPT on the block end the correct size sealing nut and ferrule on the pipe side to accomodate 10mm OD tubing. If anyone is interested I will increase my order and when they come in notify the interested persons. These may have to come from Europe from a sister company and that means it may take a month. I do not have a price yet. Please, say yes only if you are absolutely serious and certain that you want to do the same kind of installation as I am doing.

4x4CPOSEADOG

How much is the manifold though? That manifold looks good and looks simple to install. Let me know the price and if I can afford it I will get one too. Thanks.

Noel

ManyMods

Hi Noel,
I cannot say that this is the cheap date way to go. The Autometer manifold is $35.00, then you have to add the cost of the fittings I am talking about on top of that. I am guessing that this is going to end up being about $50 - $60.00 total. I know you may think I am nuts but when I do something I try to do it right (my judgement) and not half-assed. I also like to make things look solid and as close to the way the factory would do it as I can. I am going to order 4 pcs so that I will have an extra set of fittings and I will place my order as soon as I locate the parts, which I hope will be tomorrow.

ManyMods

I just received confirmation on the steel metric fluid couplers and they are $23.00 each with a 4-6 week delivery date. Stainless steel would be $38.00 each. If anyone is interested, send me a PM and LMK by this afternoon.

ManyMods

Has anyone read how the A/T OIL TEMP idiot light works? It is a little scary when you think that, not knowing at what temperature the light goes on, when it goes on you have to STOP DRIVING ... until the light goes off !!!! So, does it go on at 150*, 180*, or 200*? I know a guy who has had the light come on twice on his Mitsubishi and he was not towing or running hard. Has anyone here had that light come on? Did you find out why? Low fluid? Towing? High speed cruising or drag racing? I am still glad I am going to install a real trans temp gauge, but I do wish I had another pod to install an AIR / FUEL meter, but that sounds complicated with the O2 sensor and all that (?)

Gadget

I have a couple of those manifold things laying around. I gave up trying to install it in the steel line and just spliced it in the soft line with simple barb fittings.

I do not know what temp the stock warning light comes on, but I can tell you it is very high. I have had my temp upto 260 and the light did not come on. If it ever does you should flush out the fluid ASAP. I know I certainly would.

Your friend tha has his light coming on a lot, I will bet you a box of donuts that his torque converter is not locking up like it should. In highway cruising the tranny temp will drop way off once the clutch locks up. I had a problem with mine and the way I noticed it was watching the tranny temp continue to climb while cruising on the highway. That slipage in the converter really heats things up. My problem was a bad soleniod in the valve body. An easy fix. Your friend should really make sure his clutch is locking like it should and once he fixes the problem he should flush his tranny.

Gadget

ManyMods

He is not a car person and when it happened he took it into the dealer and had one of those half-measure, if you know what I mean, transfusions done. The dealer said they could find nothing wrong and it has been fine since then. I think it is interesting how mfg's market their vehicles. Idiot lights are standard but on sporty models the consumer wants gauges, so the mfg puts one in but calibrates it to read like an idiot light. It reacts in intervals and not through the entire range. From my experience, only cop cars "police package" got accurate gauges. I had to recalibrate the engine oil pressure gauge in my Caprice, with the help of an MIT engineer, in order to get accurate readings. I think we used diodes or resisters ... he figured it out. Speaking of gauges, now that I have your ear, what is the difficulty factor with installing an AIR / FUEL meter on an '02 model? I know there is something about replacing or installing a separate wide band O2 sensor.

MTL_4runner

Pretty sure he used resistors (I have been known to do the same to change the output to a gauge).
Where was is recommended to put a temp gauge for true readings?

Gadget

Your truck should have the newer style air/fuel ratio sensor in front of the cat instead of the old style O2 sensor. The air/fuel ratio sensor just another name for a wide band O2 sensor.

The thing is that those air/fuel ratio gauges are not compatable with the new air/fuel ratio sensors. If you want to install this gauge you have a couple of options, and only one being a good one.

You could have an exhaust shop weld in a bung in front of the cat and install an old style O2 sensor just for the gauge. To be honest I am going to tell you not to waist your time on that. The gauges that run off of an old style O2 sensor are not accurate enough to bet your engine on what it is telling you. The old sensors are only accurate near 14.7:1 and as you go away from that rich or lean they are super inaccurate. They also will not give you a steady reading. When the engine control system is in closed loop the LEDs on the gauge will blink all the way in one direction and then all the way back the other direction. Just goes back and forth, back and forth, back and forth like Night Rider. It gives you no indication of the mixture at all. The old style O2 sensors are called "switching" type sensors. And the gauges just show the sensor reading switch from rich to lean and back.

The only time you get a steady reading is if the tune is way out of whack and the mix is not passing through 14.7:1 and is locked either rich or lean.

At full throttle you should get a steady reading indicating on the rich side if everything is working right, but the reading it gives you is not accurate enough to bet you engine on. No way. In its day it was the best we had, but today it is junk.

The other way is to install and after market wide band sensor and display unit. These things give are super accurate compared to the old style O2 sensors and gauges. They give a true read out of the fuel mixture no matter what it is.

I installed a PLX wide band sensor and display in both of my trucks and have the display installed in the glove box. This gives me a digital read out of the fuel mixture and is very accurate. I also have the PLX gauge convter hooked up to the PLX display unit. This thing convers the anolog output signal to a signal old style air/fuel ratio gauges can use. I have a Split Second air/fuel ratio gauge installed behind the speed lense under the speedo and this set up makes the gauge display a very steady reading of the true fuel mixture. No more of this blinging back and forth light show. Very nice setup.

We started carrying another wide band sensor and display unit from Inovative Motor Sports. It is nicer then the PLX one and has some kool features like data loging if you get the extra stuff needed to do that. They also have a remote display kind of like the remote display for the Valentine 1 RADAR detector. Monday I am supposed to be getting the rest of the cables and stuff so I can do all the data logging with the Inovative thing along with the remote display unit. I will then know if it will be suitable to installing behind the speedo lense or not.

So, if you really want to do it right, get a wide band rig and if you really want to use one of those old style air/fuel ratio gauges and want it to give you some useful info, then get the PLX and hard wire it in your truck and hook it up the your gauge. Any other way is just not worth a damn if you ask me.

Wait till you see the slick little remote display I have for my water injection system...

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

MTL_4runner

So Gadget....How accurate are the A/F sensors in the 99+ trucks?
I assume they do not switch like the 96-98 O2 sensors do? Correct?

Gadget

It is a very nice system. It keeps the mix rock solid in closed loop mode. Very little flucuations.

The thing is to try and figure out what trucks have the newer sensor and which ones don't.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

Strider

Gadget, I was just wondering if you could tell us some more about your water injection kit??? I looked at it on your site and was just curious.

Not trying to hijack the thread...Sorry

toy283

I added a spin-on filter to the tranny cooler line and put the temp sender at the inlet to the filter. Very easy install and additional filtering as a bonus.

ManyMods

First off, thanks Mr. Gadget, I will have to get up to speed on everything you said, but it does sound like I won't be doing it.

toy283 -
I will use a Filtran in-line filter but want to use the manifold block in the steel line for a hard mount, if I can call it that.

MTL_4runner -
I looked up my notes on the gauge calibration and what we did was install the Police temp sensor and then via using different ohm rated resistors found the correct reading.

Gadget

http://www.aquamist.co.uk/

Check out this site and it should pretty much answer all your questions about the Aquamist Water Injection system. Our kit is a modified 2d kit and we add in a pressure accumulator to give the system some reserve capacity.

I can say for sure it works very well and it has certainly changed my whole mindset on smaller pullies and some other things.

After you look that over if you have any other questions let me know.

Gadget

Strider

Thanks Gadget! Will do!
-Matt

ManyMods

I want to let you all know that I have observed the changes in fluid temperture with the new billet in-line temp manifold I installed in the 10mm steel line and I believe that my readings are probably the most accurate of any installation because of how close the sensor is to the exit point of the cooler line coming from the trans case --- about 8 inches.

With an ambient outside air temperature of about 83 degrees under the following conditions I get the following readings:

150*(+/- 5*) @ steady speeds between 40 and 65 mph

165*(+/- 5*) @ steady speeds between 65 and 75 mph

180 to 200* (+/- 5*) @ speeds above 80 mph and in stop-and-go bumper to bumper traffic.

I cannot imagine what temperature levels are realized for those who do not have a TRANSMISSION COOLER and / or tow or run in the mud in 4WD for extended periods. I think everyone should install a transmission cooler as one of the first things they do when they get a 4R. JM2C

Gadget

Do you have the sensor installed in the line going from the trans to the cooler OR from the cooler back to the trans?