I think your misunderstood my comment. I replied to the 5k comment from Blaine, not the billet/10k. I agree with your comment above.
42RLE Rebuild Strategy
- Thread starter AndyG
- Start date
I think your misunderstood my comment. I replied to the 5k comment from Blaine, not the billet/10k. I agree with your comment above.
Those guys you referred me to were fantastic by the way. Really helpful.
MountaineerTom
LJ Enthusiast, Retired USAF Weapons Loader
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
For the same reason there are other gauges on the Jeep.
So I work on airplanes and I can say for an absolute fact when people add more gauges it is and will remain a distraction. I watch the owners install 30k engine monitors on an air cooled carbureted engine that do not have balance intakes and exhaust. Then they freak out of a cylinder head is 10-30 degrees different, or an egt is 40 degrees separate between the 6 cylinders. The lead one guy to an 80k overhaul for an engine that’s was within specs because it wasn’t perfectly balanced. I see it all the time. If they hadn’t installed it, they’d have no perceived problem. Ignorance is bliss in some situations. Why do you think that jeep removed the sensitivity on the factory gauges?
To reduce warranty claims from people who have zero mechanical aptitude. and likely couldn't change a flat tire on their Jeep.
MountaineerTom
LJ Enthusiast, Retired USAF Weapons Loader
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Well, I’m not flying or anything, but I can see my transmission fluid temp in a quick glance when I want to.
If we are still in context and talking about the 42RLE, a temp gauge is mandatory. They run way too hot from the factory which is why they have issues. Get some of these clowns that are running 35's with the stock gears and no aux cooler and the trans will be around 230-250 sustained on the highway.
I had one that was a vibe monster after a trans swap. Even with the Setrab cooler it was running 220ish on a hot day. We decided to do a regear to see if we could get some load off of the trans. After, we dropped the temps to our typical 180ish and there is no way we would have known that without a gauge.
The #1 reason to put a gauge in is so you don't have to guess if you need a cooler and so you don't have guess if that cooler is working.
Stop already. You are wrong, we are not in airplanes, and we do need to know what the trans temps are. If you don't, fine, take it out, but the rest of us who don't work on planes and are smarter than a temp gauge need one.
To reduce warranty claims from people who have zero mechanical aptitude. and likely couldn't change a flat tire on their Jeep.
And same thing with a temp gauge that is not necessary
You can keep repeating that as many times as you like and you will still be wrong. Knock it off already.
I would love to see it all work so well that high temps are just not on the table - but unfortunately they are a reality.
I had 2 codes- T/C slip and excessive heat.
I would have loved to have known this thing was getting too hot- a guy who has done transmissions for 3 decades or more said typically within 10 degrees of engine temp is an ideal range. Had I known it was so hot maybe I could have headed this off.
Even with 5:38 gears, my suspicion is the wonderful overdrive killed it. Who knows.
Also I don’t know how long the gears were in vs. the 35’s were on it -
I ran into a girl with 4:10 gears, 35’s and a 42. Fluid was black..... that also had me thinking before all this started.
My take- the 42 is a transmission that creates lots of heat due to the dismal overdrive ratio and shares engine heat with a hot running 4.0 that also evacuates most engine heat down the trans “tunnel” all over it - I feel like the 42 is pushed to the near limit stock.
That and the fact shops and owners often avoid filter changes, and the ATF -4 is a thin fluid to start with which may affect pressure-
All that made me decide to add a temp gauge- and keep an eye on it. Honestly the other gauges don’t require a lot of attention on these anyway.
All that said, I’m a 1 on the 1-10 scale on transmission knowledge- meaning “I have 1” and that is about it.
I’ve had 3 diesel truck automatics I towed with run tremendous miles by keeping them cool and serviced.
I had 2 codes- T/C slip and excessive heat.
I would have loved to have known this thing was getting too hot- a guy who has done transmissions for 3 decades or more said typically within 10 degrees of engine temp is an ideal range. Had I known it was so hot maybe I could have headed this off.
Even with 5:38 gears, my suspicion is the wonderful overdrive killed it. Who knows.
Also I don’t know how long the gears were in vs. the 35’s were on it -
I ran into a girl with 4:10 gears, 35’s and a 42. Fluid was black..... that also had me thinking before all this started.
My take- the 42 is a transmission that creates lots of heat due to the dismal overdrive ratio and shares engine heat with a hot running 4.0 that also evacuates most engine heat down the trans “tunnel” all over it - I feel like the 42 is pushed to the near limit stock.
That and the fact shops and owners often avoid filter changes, and the ATF -4 is a thin fluid to start with which may affect pressure-
All that made me decide to add a temp gauge- and keep an eye on it. Honestly the other gauges don’t require a lot of attention on these anyway.
All that said, I’m a 1 on the 1-10 scale on transmission knowledge- meaning “I have 1” and that is about it.
I’ve had 3 diesel truck automatics I towed with run tremendous miles by keeping them cool and serviced.
I have a 42 and I'm getting ready in a week or two to change the fluid & filter. Going to add a oil drain plug. Now after reading this what is this temp gauge you guys are talking about? Is it a Stewart Warner oil gauge or something different? Even thinking about a trans oil cooler but I'm on the fence because I don't want to add other things that might leak or block radiator airflow.
I’ll let you know what my shop suggests if I can think to remember... they close this week for a summer break.
I think Blaine has already broken ground on this too. Seems I heard he had a pan with a gauge set up worked out but (?) not dead sure.
Seen on the "do to your TJ today" thread that you have bought the trans temp gauge. Did you tap into the lines or did you install a plug in the pan? I was going to get this https://www.amazon.com/Derale-20561-Wrangler-Automatic-Transmission/dp/B004XOO6C2?tag=wranglerorg-20 but got sidetracked to getting a Bedrug & seatcovers because my wife don't like the smell of the Jeep. If you could show me how you installed the gauge probe to the oil. Thx.
Sure
Right now its on the line out - Blaine said that’s wrong - gives a hotter reading when it comes out of the torque converter that way
He fixed me up with a pan and bung- not installed yet
I’m happy to send a pic later when at the rig-
Or can once I relocate
The thought is sending unit in the pan you are reading the temp of the fluid about to be used if I’m not mistaken.
For the record-
My end cost was 3760.00
Performance? Best 42 transmission I’ve driven.
The shifts are smooth and the shift points are obvious- you can feel it going through the gears as you should.
The way it pulls at very low rpm is great- which helps with a 42, even if it has 5:38 gears.
I can’t stay out of the jeep .....It is so much more enjoyable to drive.
Not mushy and vague like before.
If I had to do it again I’d want the same build.
My end cost was 3760.00
Performance? Best 42 transmission I’ve driven.
The shifts are smooth and the shift points are obvious- you can feel it going through the gears as you should.
The way it pulls at very low rpm is great- which helps with a 42, even if it has 5:38 gears.
I can’t stay out of the jeep .....It is so much more enjoyable to drive.
Not mushy and vague like before.
If I had to do it again I’d want the same build.
You are reading the trans temp. That is the only temp that matters.
I used a glowshift Transmission Temperature gauge (2 years in, no issues). I’m sure lots of people will recommend Auto Meter. Follow your heart. You will have to wire it in once you get a pan with a bung in it.
There’s a how to write up for putting the derale cooler under your jeep. I put a Hayden in front of my radiator and it hasn’t affected my running temp one bit, and I live in Texas.
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