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... I installed a bigger pan and had the guy weld in a place to install the temperature sensor. This is the location I installed it, in the pan. Which location is more accurate?
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You should get almost identical temp from both locations.
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I have heard there can be up to 30 degrees difference between the two locations.
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I've never heard that from anyone who actually had senders installed in both locations. They all reported no difference in temps from those two locations.
The tranny pump grabs the ATF out of the sump and sends it on it's way through the tranny. The first place the ATF goes is to that pressure port on the side of the tranny. So both locations should have almost identical temps. And folks with senders in both locations tell us they do.
But we'll be glad to add you to the list of experts. Put a sender in both locations, with a switch to select which location you're monitoring. Or install a second tranny temp gauge with the sender in the other location. Then after your first towing trip, come back here and report your experience.
I have two tranny temp gauges, but my second one is in the cooler return line. It tells me that the temp of the cooled ATF is usually about 30º cooler than the sump temp when cruising on the interstate. But when I slow down to go through a town, the difference disappears, and the cooled ATF may even go higher than sump temp.