Ultragauge transmission temp

I was thinking about getting a ultra guage, but don't know if I should get the MX 1.3 or the EM plus. I have a 2014 regular cab 2wd manual transmission. Any benefits to go with the MX 1.3? I am threading a lot of the posts, but can't find the information to get definitive answer...appreciate an explanation.

 

Here's what I think, hopefully someone else chimes in:
MX 1.3 - better for a truck with the auto transmission, as the trans temp reading and torque converted lock and most of the other special gauges only work with an auto. Your manual, from what I've been told, will have lower trans temps than an automatic, which uses the fluid more as a hydraulic.

EM plus - better off getting this one I think because it has all the engine temps and mpgs and such PLUS it has like "performance" stuff like 0-60mph times and fun stuff like that

 

Thanks for the feedback

 

Is there a way to get the mx to read the fuel level instead of having to input the gallons pumped?

 

not as of now

 

Now that would be ideal!!!

 

Just towed my Sportsmen 14RB from central Florida to lower Kentucky. Transmission temps were a low of 180 to a high of 225 when going up the mountain. Average was about 190.

 

do you have the tow package? 225 is a little high for comfort. I also wonder if its reading the torque converter output temp (which is over inflated) vs the much more desirable pan temp.

 

Yes I do. Again, that was only while we were going up the steepest part of the mountain. Always left the tranny in 4th gear (5 spd automatic). Trailer gross weight is (approx) 3500lbs or so.

 

According to my UG, I was hitting tranny temps right at 200-205 F* last Friday driving down the highway with ambient temps around 58* F. I never saw those temps before and it doesn't make sense that they would get that high under those conditions. No trailer, just truck. Never saw those temps before.

I'm beginning to not trust this gauge.

 

Yeah no way you were at those temps cruising unless you were in 5th unlocked the entire time.

 

So i have tried to read as much of this thread as possible and would like some direction as;

1. non of the UG come pre-programmed for a 12-15 taco? so do i just bypass that option at checkout?
2. which is better for my setup; 13 taco with SC (i plan on getting an AFR / Boost gauge down the line but UG seems like a decent option for now)
3. how hard is it to input the codes / how does one do so?
4. thanks all and yes i read and searched, perhaps i missed a sticky with this info? if not maybe it can be added to the OP #1 of this thread

 

I have a SC and I bought the UG for it's tranny temp readings.

1. Order the M Gauge. It's the "pro" model that's programmable.
2. Skip the UG and get the Scangauge and AFR/boost gauge. Or none at all. You really don't need any of it unless you start modifying the SC/boost.
3. Not hard at all. It's in the options menu under M Gauges.

The more I have the UG the more I'm NOT impressed. It seem to me that it's slow to respond like there's a delay between what's happening real time and when it's reported by the UG.

 

I changed the refresh rate to 1 second I believe and turned off nearly all alarms.

 

Just towed a longer distance for the first time since getting the MX1.3 upgrade.

Below is a graph of the one-way elevation profile of the trip.
My avatar is a photo of the load towed, of which the trailer is roughly 3000lbs.
Outside temps were 85-95°F, depending on elevation.

Kept her in 4th gear (Auto-trans w/tow package) except on very steep declines where I could let the engine rest a bit. On some of the steepest climbs I dropped it into third.

Engine temps never exceeded 210°F. RPM was usually around 2700 (in 4th) running between 60-65MPH.

On the way out, tranny temps climbed from 160°F to 180°F at the bottom of the hill, and then spiked around 225°F at the last hill before the end. On the way back temps were pretty much at 200 +/- 10°F the whole time.

The temps went up, of course, when the torque converter engaged, but they never seemed to drop back as low as they were before it engaged. I am now wondering where the reading is being taken.

I am also wondering how well aux trans-cooler works. In theory, shouldn't the tranny fluid be the same temp (or cooler) as the coolant as it enters the transmission? My tranny temps exceeded my engine temps more than a few times.

My truck has 93K miles and I had the tranny fluid swapped at 80K. I'm thinking I might want to do it again soon if these temps keep up. Any other tips on keeping the temps down, while towing or otherwise? And can anyone point me to a good resource that explains how the fluid moves in the tranny at different points during the driving cycle?



Jeff in Flagstaff

 

It would be interesting to see the same readouts on say my torque pro app with torque converter output temp and pan temp. compared to the Ultragauge.

With something like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TMCX72

with your ultragauge and my ELM 327 hooked up.

 

Reading through the last few pages of this post to get codes for trans temp on a 2015. I see that the output format was listed as 10 in the newer posts, but was listed as 00 in the older posts.

Which is correct? 10 for the output format causes my UG to display about 221 degrees right when I start the truck up. When I change the output format to 00, it displays around 110 degrees. The latter sounds more correct at startup.

 

If I recall correctly, when programming my UG for Tran temp, 00 was for Fahrenheit and 10 was for Celsius display or vise versa...don't remember exactly

 

So -- if that is the case ... and, knowing that C would always be a lower number than F, there seems to be a problem with the readout.

At 10, I get a value that seems to read in C .... but it is way too high to be the trans temp on a vehicle that was just started up after having sat in a garage for 12 hours.

At 00, I get a more reasonable value. The problem is that this value seems to actually be C, not F. Converting this value from Celsius to Fahrenheit seems to get me the values I see at output formats 00 and 10, respectively.

Anyone have any idea what is going on here? I'd triple-checked that everything matches as listed in the previous posts.

 

Strange. I would shoot a email to UG support with your concern.