2018 5.3L Tahoe - 34K miles - Transmission Fluid Temp keeps going 'up' not regulating

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Lbi2000

TYF Newbie
Joined
Dec 26, 2022
Posts
7
Reaction score
5
Hello, this all started last week when i was coming off highway after towing a boat for about 2 hours (3.5K load) and i noticed my radiator fans were running high, so high i don't recall that. My coolant temp gauge in car showed around 180, engine seemed very hot. My OBDII device that i plugged in showed coolant temp was 145... so i thought for sure i just needed to replace the coolant temp sensor.

So... i replaced my coolant temp sensor, thermostat ( 207F trigger like original had) and i even replaced water pump. Even flushed transmission coolant and did oil change.

MY PROBLEM NOW: i never knew how to show the transmission fluid temperature but now i do. Driving around without towing but with tow feature turned on... i drove about 30 mins on fairly flat/small-hills area.... in 30 mins my transmission temp climbed up ( like about 1 degree per minute it starts to climb! ) up to 208F !!! By the time I got home, another 30 mins later, my transmission fluid temp was 228F !!!!! My coolant temp stayed around 210 never going higher than 214.

Does it sound like my transmission thermometer might be messing with me and i should do that by pass to it ? I mean my transmission coolant ended up running hotter than the engine.

Any advice on if it sounds like the transmission thermostat is the culprit and i should bypass it with the kit ?
 

strutaeng

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2023
Posts
669
Reaction score
1,307
Location
Dallas, Texas
Yeah, maybe your transmission thermostat gizmo got stuck closed? I thought that was a common issue on the earlier 6 speeds though. But anything can fail.
 

NickTransmissions

Sin City
Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2023
Posts
843
Reaction score
1,976
Location
The transmission bench
Hello, this all started last week when i was coming off highway after towing a boat for about 2 hours (3.5K load) and i noticed my radiator fans were running high, so high i don't recall that. My coolant temp gauge in car showed around 180, engine seemed very hot. My OBDII device that i plugged in showed coolant temp was 145... so i thought for sure i just needed to replace the coolant temp sensor.

So... i replaced my coolant temp sensor, thermostat ( 207F trigger like original had) and i even replaced water pump. Even flushed transmission coolant and did oil change.

MY PROBLEM NOW: i never knew how to show the transmission fluid temperature but now i do. Driving around without towing but with tow feature turned on... i drove about 30 mins on fairly flat/small-hills area.... in 30 mins my transmission temp climbed up ( like about 1 degree per minute it starts to climb! ) up to 208F !!! By the time I got home, another 30 mins later, my transmission fluid temp was 228F !!!!! My coolant temp stayed around 210 never going higher than 214.

Does it sound like my transmission thermometer might be messing with me and i should do that by pass to it ? I mean my transmission coolant ended up running hotter than the engine.

Any advice on if it sounds like the transmission thermostat is the culprit and i should bypass it with the kit ?
Flip the pill or install the Superior Tech delete kit. Keep temps no higher than 185-190. 228 degrees is too high on a reg basis, esp with the POS converter looking for any reason to fail (disregard if you have already upgrade).
 

SpyShops212

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2022
Posts
348
Reaction score
314
What if I ran my transmission for a 30 mile trip at 190-195? Am I in trouble in the future. I also changed my first fluid at 69,000 miles on my 10 speed. Most of my miles was highway and no towing. Should I be worried in the future?
 

blackelky

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2023
Posts
510
Reaction score
617
UPDATE: i installed a transmission cooler and additionally installed the Shift Solutions #STL010 bypass and my tranmission temperature went from climbing up to stupid levels above 200+ to now go only as high as around 143F.
You do an oem cooler or aftermarket like trucool derale etc.?
 

Jonmurphy

Member
Joined
May 25, 2022
Posts
30
Reaction score
12
Hello, this all started last week when i was coming off highway after towing a boat for about 2 hours (3.5K load) and i noticed my radiator fans were running high, so high i don't recall that. My coolant temp gauge in car showed around 180, engine seemed very hot. My OBDII device that i plugged in showed coolant temp was 145... so i thought for sure i just needed to replace the coolant temp sensor.

So... i replaced my coolant temp sensor, thermostat ( 207F trigger like original had) and i even replaced water pump. Even flushed transmission coolant and did oil change.

MY PROBLEM NOW: i never knew how to show the transmission fluid temperature but now i do. Driving around without towing but with tow feature turned on... i drove about 30 mins on fairly flat/small-hills area.... in 30 mins my transmission temp climbed up ( like about 1 degree per minute it starts to climb! ) up to 208F !!! By the time I got home, another 30 mins later, my transmission fluid temp was 228F !!!!! My coolant temp stayed around 210 never going higher than 214.

Does it sound like my transmission thermometer might be messing with me and i should do that by pass to it ? I mean my transmission coolant ended up running hotter than the engine.

Any advice on if it sounds like the transmission thermostat is the culprit and i should bypass it with the kit ?
You do an oem cooler or aftermarket like trucool derale etc.?
I've been modifying working on automatic transmissions for many years and I feel 200° is a absolute maximum temperature And a minimum ?,I cant imagine that a ambient over 30° would require a thermostat.. I've said over and over again, Adapter engine oil filter Or 2 , in parallel , On your coolant line.. Converter cluches are very dirt Producing.
All This is will increase your transmission life 3 -4 times ....JonMurphy's law.
 

B-train

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2022
Posts
1,928
Reaction score
3,207
@Jonmurphy that is an interesting idea. Where do you mount said contraption in an engine bay full of stuff? What size spin on, etc.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
129,239
Posts
1,812,628
Members
92,339
Latest member
Thekenstar

Latest posts

Top