Light bar in lower grill and transmission temps while towing
05-18-2018, 08:22 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Light bar in lower grill and transmission temps while towing
I have a light bar in the lower grill of my 2014 5.0 that I use at night on my nasty dark muddy dirt road I live on, it's not for curb appeal.
My trans temps are 204-206, occasionally 208 in stop and go traffic while towing my Lance 2285 TT which is 5500 pounds. Has anyone checked their temps before and after installing a light bar and seen any noticeable difference?
The reason I ask is the first week of July I am taking a 2400+ mile round trip from Florida to NY and am wondering if it would be beneficial to remove the light bar for this trip to lower the trans temp a few degrees.
My trans temps are 204-206, occasionally 208 in stop and go traffic while towing my Lance 2285 TT which is 5500 pounds. Has anyone checked their temps before and after installing a light bar and seen any noticeable difference?
The reason I ask is the first week of July I am taking a 2400+ mile round trip from Florida to NY and am wondering if it would be beneficial to remove the light bar for this trip to lower the trans temp a few degrees.
05-18-2018, 08:46 PM
#2
Those temps sound normal for towing, my 16 sometimes hits 205 while Empty in the summer. Mine is a 3.5 too.
05-18-2018, 09:04 PM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
My temps are usually 204 unloaded and not bad by no means while towing, but with that long of a trip my thinking is any little bit helps.
05-20-2018, 08:33 PM
#5
Senior Member
At least get us some pics please!
2018 Lariat does not give me the actual temp...............bummer
2018 Lariat does not give me the actual temp...............bummer
05-21-2018, 02:17 PM
#7
Grumpy Old Man
Are you sure? On my 2012 Lariat, pressing the left multi-function arrow on the steering wheel while looking at the "Trip A" or "Trip B" screen brings up a screen that includes several options, including "gauges". Clicking "OK" on the gauges option brings up another screen that lists several gauges, including tranny temp. Clicking "OK" on tranny temp brings up the digital tranny temp.
I suspect a light bar in front of the grill of an F-150 with the 5.0L V8 engine would not cause an increase in tranny temp. But anything in front of the opening of the grill on a 3.5L EcoBoost engine would be a huge NO NO!.
I suspect a light bar in front of the grill of an F-150 with the 5.0L V8 engine would not cause an increase in tranny temp. But anything in front of the opening of the grill on a 3.5L EcoBoost engine would be a huge NO NO!.
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06-29-2018, 07:49 PM
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
So and update for my own question
Did the first leg of our trip today, about 400 miles and averaged 93 degrees out. I removed the light bar for the trip and it made absolutely no difference in transmission temps. I ran without fluctuations at 206 degrees with 6th locked out.
Did the first leg of our trip today, about 400 miles and averaged 93 degrees out. I removed the light bar for the trip and it made absolutely no difference in transmission temps. I ran without fluctuations at 206 degrees with 6th locked out.
07-22-2019, 01:29 PM
#9
2013 F150 5.0 L with Tow Pkg .......... I'm hitting 230 degrees for a few minutes at the top of long high altitude grades in 2nd gear towing a 19ft 5500lb trailer ...... otherwise temps average around 195 -201 approx.
Does the 230 degrees for a few minutes ruin the tranny fliud ? Get a better cooler ( aftermarket ) ?
Does the 230 degrees for a few minutes ruin the tranny fliud ? Get a better cooler ( aftermarket ) ?
07-22-2019, 09:30 PM
#10
Senior Member
2013 F150 5.0 L with Tow Pkg .......... I'm hitting 230 degrees for a few minutes at the top of long high altitude grades in 2nd gear towing a 19ft 5500lb trailer ...... otherwise temps average around 195 -201 approx.
Does the 230 degrees for a few minutes ruin the tranny fliud ? Get a better cooler ( aftermarket ) ?
Does the 230 degrees for a few minutes ruin the tranny fliud ? Get a better cooler ( aftermarket ) ?