My wifes '08 Tahoe "I think" has the towing package Its a 5,3 with 3.73 gear Was curious why the trans temp doesnt closely follow the engine temp. When I check the trans temp on a 16 degree morning and I've been on the highway for 10 mins. the engine temp is at 210, where it always runs, but the trans temp is only 82 deg. By the time I get to work, its at 102 deg. Theres nothing wrong, its shifts fine, I was just curious. Im thinking the trans fluid does not run thru the rad. just an external cooler????
With the towing package there will be a secondary trans cooler and the cooler within the radiator. The cooler in the rad is in the "cold" rad tank, so it'll be much cooler than the coolant leaving the engine.
No thermostats. Heat in an engine is caused (mostly) by combustion. There isn't any fire happening inside your transmission, hopefully . Your engine temp is also measuring the coolant temp and not the oil, in a trans its the tranny fluid temp.
Your Tahoe has a similar set up to my Yukon, even with the plow hanging up front and 8 hrs of pushing snow I didn't see much over 180 of tranny temp, drop the plow and within minutes its barely seeing 100
It would surprise me if the Tahoe has dummies-mine (‘07) move like real ones (I’ve seen the fake ones on Fords and their movements look fake). Plus, the op was referring to the digital display under the cluster; it gives trans temp to the degree). Patrick
He was also comparing it to the engine temp, which is a dummy gauge. Anything remotely close to operating temp and the gauge sits at 210.. a scan tool will verify the huge swing in actual engine temp and the gauge reads 210 all the time.. hence the dummy gauge. Too many folks could not understand normal gauge function so GM made them that way. Gauge function has been controlled by the BCM for quite awhile anyway..
