2005 Quad Cab, 4.7L, 2wd, 115,000 miles and I'm getting the trans temp light... ugh.

Been getting it off and on since I bought the truck 5 months ago. Other than the light itself I never noticed any difference and some posts here said they just ignored theirs so I did too.

However, the last couple of weeks there's definitely been something going on. If the truck is nice and hot and then sits for a couple of hours and then I drive off again the light will come on. And this time it won't shift from 2nd to 3rd.

If it sits long enough for a complete cool down or short enough it won't happen.

I have tried pulling over and putting it in N and revving the engine but the only thing that helps is to turn off the truck then turn it back on again. It'll be fine after that.

So.... is my tranny on it's way out?

A mechanic I know says that he's installed an auxiliary tranny cooler in front of the radiator on some trucks with this issue in the past and it solves the problem. I guess its simple enough to try first but what do you guys think? I'm tired of worrying about it and if the consensus is the tranny is dying then I'd rather just swap/rebuild it and get it over with.

Thanks.

 

I'd start with a fluid/filter change. Go from there.

 

I'm with Jkeaton. Start with a fluid and filter change.

It's NEVER a bad idea to add an auxiliary cooler. Especially if you ever tow or haul a good amount of weight with your truck. Auto transmissions run hot. The cooler we can keep them the longer they can last for us. The benefits a cooler can give, far outweigh the cost of adding one. (They are fairly inexpensive)

[edit] I don't believe your tranny is on it's way out, just asking for a little TLC. If the problem persists, test/replace the temp sensor. (Those can get flaky as well)

 

Change the fluid/filter but be sure to use an OEM filter right? Heard if you don't you could have issues.

I figured the light is coming on after sitting for a couple of hours because the sensor gets to sit in hot fluid and it doesn't shift not because the tranny is going bad but because the computer doesn't allow it. If it sits for longer the fluid cools down more and doesn't trigger the sensor.

This is my daily driver so I want it to be reliable.

Thanks!

 

Yes, OEM filters only.

 

Yikes, dealer wants $375 for the flush. Is this something only the dealer should be trusted with or ok to find another shop?

I'm sure I could do better than $375.

 

Shop around. Lots of transmission shops around that can do it. I had mine done at Aamco for $99. Dealer probably wants to do a flush. Don't do that. Drop the pan, replace the filters, fill it back up. It's not that hard of a DIY job.

 

when just replacing the filter how much fluid should you put back in... cause your still gonna have fluid left in the torque converter and i dont wanna over fill it?

 

I measure what comes out and replace the exact same amount.

 

Should take about 5.5 quarts of ATF+4 synthetic fluid or equivalent.