Need Help with Transmission Temp….

I have a 2017 Tacoma SR5 with towing package that includes the ATF cooler in front of the radiator…
I tow a travel trailer and I was wondering if there is transmission temperature gauge ANYWHERE in the dash computer system?
I would really like to be able to see the temp of my transmission….
If not, can anyone recommend an aftermarket system that they have successfully installed and are happy with?
Ill even use an old school dial gauge mounted on my dash!
Thanks!
Chris

 

No there is not. Most people use a scan gauge because it’s simple and easy

 

I'm not aware of any factory interface that tells you trans temp. I'm only aware of an idiot light that comes on when the temp gets too high according to the computer, which is too little too late when doing actual towing and you can't monitor anything.

I use a scangauge II and had to manually input xgauge codes highlighted in the image below.

This is the one that worked for my Tacoma, you may or may not have to try another if you want to go the scangauge route. There's a tutorial on YT by Fourby4diesel that shows you how to do it.

I'm sure there is a way to tell the ATF temp with another method but since this works for me I haven't looked into any others ...

You didn't ask, but I thought I'd share a tip or 2 for keeping the fluid temperature down. You want to avoid torque converter slip as much as possible. The TC can only lock in 4th, 5th, and 6th from the factory, but it can slip in any gear. Driving in ECT Power mode tends to keep it in a lower gear where it's more likely to lock the TC rather than slip the TC in a higher gear. You can also monitor things yourself and use S mode to downshift it if it tries to slip in too high of a gear. You can tell it's slipping by backing off the gas slightly and the RPM drops before the speed does. If it's slipping for more than 5 seconds, I always manually downshift and it usually locks in the next lower gear. It won't lock in 2nd or 3rd though, but if it starts slipping in 4th, I go ahead and drop it down to S3 and let the gear do the torque multiplication rather than the TC. Keeping the torque converter locked as much as possible minimizes heat buildup. No slip = no heat. I also recommend engine braking in 4th. It will lock the converter when engine braking in 4th, but will slip in 3rd and 2nd and continue to heat up the ATF even though you're not using any engine power. When the TC is locked, the airflow from underneath the vehicle cools the pan down faster than the heat of moving parts can build up.

 

The Scangauge II connects to the ODB2 port. It reads (and only reads) the data (e.g., transmission temperature) in the vehicle computer.

 

Yeah, what they said. Scangauge II.

 

Two more options to monitor trans temp.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ultragauge-trans-temp-codes-for-3rd-gen.526017/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/obd-fusion-tips-and-tricks.590248/

 

I almost bought a Scan Gauge 3, but don't tow and do not need it mounted during driving.
https://www.scangauge.com/products/productsscangauge-iii/

Ended up buying a Foxwell NT530 because I have two other Toyota products in my household. It displays two transmission temperatures. Foxwell is bi-directional scan tool. Here is a link to the Foxwell that comes pre-loaded with Toyota software (with free lifetime updates).

https://www.amazon.com/FOXWELL-NT530-Multi-System-Diagnostic-Scanner/dp/B07XQJKWWB

Here is a video showing how an older Foxwell version works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbJ9uH394zM

For towing, you probably want a Scan Gauge 2 or 3.