Transmission temp too high

was driving up the local mountains and noticed my ultra gauge trans temp got to 225 degrees. Got to top of mountain and noticed smell which I believe was transmission fluid, may have been brakes too. No leaks that I can see, should I be concerned?

 

If something is burning it would be prudent to find the source.

 

How steep are the mountains and were you pulling a trailer.

 

Temp getting up there. I hit 220 this summer in the mountains but I didn't notice any smells. I'm due for a tranny flush; so, will do that soon'ish.

 

was this 220 pan temp or torque converter out? 220pan temp yeah thats warm, but not excessive. 220 torque converter output temp is very common and not to be worried about.

Smell was probably from brakes or extra heat in the exhaust due to slow driving and extra load that was burning off oil etc.

 

225 is ok. But I would change the fluid. If it smells burnt tranny is already toast. That’s what I have always been told by my mechanics. Also when it gets hot always good practice to pet truck cool down. Just like you should let it warm up. Just let it idle for 5 min. Brakes wouldn’t smell from going up mountain. And tranny wouldn’t smell from going down mountain.

 

225 isnt hot enough to change oil. Shorten the recomendation change interval by a few thousand miles would be more reasonable

 

curious, is that for all ATF types?

 

Its a "rule of thumb"

 

BTW, so you are not fooled by Toyota's recommended mileage for ATF fluid change, Toyota's recommendation is stupid. Stick with ~60k for light usage and adjust as needed if your driving habits routinely cause high temps (towing/hauling).

 

If you used the old Ultragauge codes for Trans Temp then it's most likely from the converter and not the pan so 220 is not unusual.

There are new codes floating around here to show both Pan and Converter temps.

 

Alter your driving tendencies (even with an auto) to keep the TC locked, or locked most of the time

 

If you turn OD off, I believe it will lock in 4th gear (I'm not possitive for your year model but 1st gen locks in 3rd gear when OD is off). I always keep OD off in the mountain or towing/hauling a heavy load.

When locked, your fluid is no longer working and won't over heat. Besides, accelerating in OD on a steep grade or with a heavy load is not good for the transmission and trans fluid temps can get very high.

 

Ideally, you change the ATF based on its level of contaminates, regardless of mileage. It may be 5K for one driver, and 100K for another. Short of submitting a sample to a lab for analysis, the universal method to evaluate ATF for the DIY is to look at it's color, which is best evaluated against a white paper towel or clear cups. New ATF is pink. It turns dark as it accumulates contaminates or is burned due to heat. Used ATF but still good will be brown with some pink in it. Once it is all brown, it is time to change it. Black means it is toast and you need to see if the ATF has metallic flakes at this point; if it does, you are best not to change it or your tranny will slip. Here is a good video explaining this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o690DovjDAc

 

Exactly. On my first gen I used to always have to keep the temps down for the 4speed auto loaded down with all the armor etc.

The 4th gen t4r I have now with the 5speed auto trans locks pretty good and keeps temps down although on hills I still throw it in 4th.

Watching the temps and knowing what your trans is doing is essential to prolonging its life tremendously

 

2nd gen's 5 speed auto thats mated to the 1GR's will do torque converter lockup in 4th and 5th only. Lockup DEFINITELY keeps heat down.

 

I don't use "D" unless I'm on the freeway. You can get the TC to stay locked even when towing in the mountains in 4th gear.

It's also amazing how 4Lo reduces slippage and heat build up compared to 4Hi when wheeling up steep hills too.

Gotta love ultragauge!

 

Drove up to 5500 feet winding road uphill no towing

 

That's pretty much my understanding as well.

If I move the shifter over from D to 4 in my 2006, it can no longer shift into OD.
I do that a lot. Much of PA is ridges and deep valleys, so lots of steep roads.