Hi all,
I have a '99 5.9l half ton with a 46re tranny. I'm sick of worrying about my trans fluid temp. I'll be doing quite a bit of towing this summer, as well as making at least 3 trips to Silver Lake sand dunes (A known killer of transmissions, and various other parts ) I've decided on a dual gauge pillar setup from Auto Meter. Here is a list of what I'll be ordering from Summit...

Dual gauge pillar- http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ATM-17204/
Vacuum gauge-http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ATM-2610/
Tranny temp gauge-http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ATM-2640/
Green LEDs (x2)-http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ATM-3285/
Agate plastic paint-http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CBD-163/

My questions are...

1) Is there anything not listed above that I will need to complete the job?

2) Would a vacuum gauge be of any use? I'm not worried about water temp, oil pressure, or volts. While the stock gauges may be innacturate, they're good enough for me. My other option would be an engine oil temp sensor, but what would be the benefit of knowing that when I already know my water temp?

3) I plan on installing the tranny temp sending unit in the front servo port. Will the parts that come with the Auto Meter gauge be a direct fit type of thing? Can I just screw the sending unit into the servo port and be done with it?

4) I have the black/dark gray dash and pillar combo in my truck, that is "Agate" correct?

 

Vacuum gauge is good for trying to do your best to keep vacuum high. (good gas mileage). Almost laughable in these trucks......

Oil Temp might be better than vacuum..... Or maybe fuel pressure?

 

i am putting a trans temp gauge in my truck as well, i have an full sweep electric from autometer, if you look in the service manual that you can download from here i think the search keyword is merry christmas, but anyways theres a temp sensor already on the tranny just tap into the wire and your good to go. theres a few people that would debate where to put your sending unit, i do not like having it in the tranny pan, i'd rather tap the supply line to the radiator or like what i suggested earlier tap the temp wire to the ecm.

 

http://www.genosgarage.com/ they great paint to macth

i have a vac guage in my truck

 

[QUOTE=CSXfan;2124167]
My questions are...

1) Is there anything not listed above that I will need to complete the job?

3) I plan on installing the tranny temp sending unit in the front servo port. Will the parts that come with the Auto Meter guage be a direct fit type of thing? Can I just screw the sending unit into the servo port and be done with it?

QUOTE]

1) Wire - 18 guage would probably be fine.

3) That's the same trans temp guage I run, and the sending unit was a perfect fit for the front servo port. I've been running it there for over 5 years now with no issues. But, just in case they are shipping a different sending unit then the one I got, when you remove the plug that is in the port, shine a light in to get an idea how deep it is. Then double check your sending unit to make sure it doesn't look too long. I recommend you put a bit of teflon tape on the threads when you screw it in just to prevent leaks.

 

HeyYou, I looked into getting a fuel pressure gauge, but they cost over $150! Not in my budget. I also looked into getting an oil temp gauge, but what's the benefit of knowing how hot my engine oil is? Who cares? As long as my water temp stays within reason, I have nothing to worry about, correct?

MrRuckuss, I've never heard of anyone using that wire for an analog gauge. Anyone else use that kind of setup?

dodgeram07, how do you like your vac gauge?

Silver, thanks for the reply. What temp does your tranny normally run? (I think you have an aftermarket cooler correct?)

 

Oil temp, and coolant temp, are not the same, and don't necessarily reflect each other. Heat is the killer of lubricants. Just like tranny fluid, the hotter your oil gets, the more it breaks down, and loses some of its lubricating properties. Oil temp can tell you a few things, one of which is, you are getting low on oil. (BEFORE the oil pressure gauge clues you in by hitting zero going around corners/stopping/starting....) If you do a fair bit of offroading, knowing when your oil is getting hot is a 'good thing' ™.

 

Makes sense to me....how would this tell me that I'm low on oil though? Where's the best spot to install an oil temp gauge?

I think it would be kind of annoying seeing that vacuum gauge bounce around out of the corner of my eye, and I don't need another reminder that I'm only getting 11mpg. Huh, now I'm torn...

 

i don't see why it wouldn't work, the sending unit senses a temperature and sends a signal to the ecm, the ecm has to know what the temp. is so it can keep your O/D off if its too cold or too hot. if it doesn't work i'm not at a loss i have the sending unit that came with the gauge i'll just have to tap the line to the radiator. depending on the weather this week, but i plan on installing this when its not raining.

 

But would the stock sending unit be able to communicate correctly with the aftermarket gauge? That would be my concern. Let us know how it works out for you.