So I finally bought the Craftsman multimeter with the temp probe that you can drop down into the filler tube and the fluid temperature was 170 F. It was 52 F outside at the time of the test and I tested it immediately after it was shut off after Amber driving it from work to the grocery and then home for a total of about 10 miles. I consider it to be a pretty accurate test. FYI, the fluid was just flushed at the dealer with Mazda Type M-V and has about 300-400 miles on it.
Transmission fluid temperature test results
- Thread starter Robotazky
- Start date
- :
- 2008 Mazda5 Touring
Care to do another test since it's summer now? How long was this 10 mile trip?
Sorry, but I won't be doing another test for two reasons. First is that I can confirm the driving to be heavy city driving from stop light to stop light in brisk moving traffic on 45 MPH dense city traffic streets. The experiment variables in that regard I can confirm are adequate for pretty much any testing other than racing up a canyon switchback. Second is that the fluid was impossible to remove from the cord's nylon outer wrap and it screwed up the probe. Due to the oil residue's property of absorbing heat energy and surrounding the probe with extra heat in addition to the air, it is now producing lower temps than it should. Essentially it's broken. I had to buy another one and I think it was like $15.
- :
- 2008 Mazda5 Touring
I guess if the information satisfies you I'd have to do my own test, because the temp here has been up to 110* heat index.
I don't understand the reason it's ruined. Once you submerge the probe end into the oil, won't it reach the same temperature as the fluid regardless of whether there is oil residue? If you are basing this reasoning on 'open air' temperatures, I kinda understand since the oil acts as a sort of heat sink, but once you submerge isn't that irrelevant? Have you compared it to a baking thermometer?
I don't understand the reason it's ruined. Once you submerge the probe end into the oil, won't it reach the same temperature as the fluid regardless of whether there is oil residue? If you are basing this reasoning on 'open air' temperatures, I kinda understand since the oil acts as a sort of heat sink, but once you submerge isn't that irrelevant? Have you compared it to a baking thermometer?
It's ruined dude. Maybe my justification is incorrect, but there is no way of thinking away the fact that it is ruined. It is what it is. The response time is extremely slow and it is not correct. I have thermometers inside and outside, on my grill, etc. and the probe is wrong now. When you pull the rubber sheath from around the probe's connections to the wiring, it is so poorly soldered that it appears to be about to fall apart. I think oil got way up into the wire. Plus, there mesh stuff between the wiring and the cover that absorbed the oil apparently.
Hi, I'm just curious, what is the purpose of knowing the temperature of the Transmission fluid?
Doesn't the ATF pass thru the ATF cooler (within the radiator)?. So any heat carried by the fluid will be transfered to the engine coolant and dissipated by the radiator and fan. And we already have the temperature gauge coolant temperature for this.
Doesn't the ATF pass thru the ATF cooler (within the radiator)?. So any heat carried by the fluid will be transfered to the engine coolant and dissipated by the radiator and fan. And we already have the temperature gauge coolant temperature for this.
The ATF in any car either has its own cooler or its own subdivided area of the car's radiator. The ATF and engine have closed loop systems. Dash gauges almost always only show the engine temp. Your engine temp gauge is usually where the thermostat is on the engine, so you can't deduce much about the ATX with that gauge. You could, however, deduce something about the ATX if you knew what the temp coming out of the radiator is supposed to be with a properly cooled engine. It would be higher obviously if the ATX is running hot. That all takes empirical data though, which we don't have.
Thanks.. The thread got me into checking the wiring diagram. Found out there is already a transmission fluid temperature sensor inside the transmission itself. The computer must be using readings from this sensor together with other inputs. Maybe the reason why despite that long climbs we had along I-15 (from L.A. to Las Vegas), the mazda5 is still running smooth. 4 adults, and 2 children in the car plus cargoes, there were times when the M5 shifted down to 3rd gear to maintain the auto cruise set speed.
Attachments
- :
- 2008 Mazda5 Touring
This sensor is to tell the PCM what line pressure to maintain, when the fluid temperature is warm enough to enable TC lockup, and it also will take back automatic control if you are driving in manual mode and the atf temperature gets too hot. This has been standard for electronically controlled a/t's for decades, but few manufacturer's make the information available on the data BUS.
- :
- 2008 Mazda5 Touring
Probably not, but maybe someone on here can check...
http://www.scangauge.com/support/xgauges-for-cansf-vehicles/
http://www.scangauge.com/support/ford-specific-xgauges/
http://www.scangauge.com/support/xgauges-for-cansf-vehicles/
http://www.scangauge.com/support/ford-specific-xgauges/
I checked the CEL codes relating to the transmission fluid sensor. the codes are merely checking the functions of the sensor,
like it is expected to have a particular reading at some speed or length of time. if it goes beyond or below the programmed readings the pcm assumes the sensor is bad and operates the transmision in different way.. i.e. safe mode.
There is no code about ATF overheat or the like. I guess it is assumed engine and transmission temperature are all dissipated (eventually) to the engine coolant and to the air via the radiator. My 'maxitrip' (poor man's scangauge) has ECT reading (engine coolant temperature reading), IAT (intake air).. but no ATF temperature reading.
like it is expected to have a particular reading at some speed or length of time. if it goes beyond or below the programmed readings the pcm assumes the sensor is bad and operates the transmision in different way.. i.e. safe mode.
There is no code about ATF overheat or the like. I guess it is assumed engine and transmission temperature are all dissipated (eventually) to the engine coolant and to the air via the radiator. My 'maxitrip' (poor man's scangauge) has ECT reading (engine coolant temperature reading), IAT (intake air).. but no ATF temperature reading.
