[oldblue96]

Hi, I recently bought a 96 F350 (first-time diesel owner) and have been gathering chunks of information from different posts but am having trouble understanding a few things…

Transmission is automatic. Is the stock temp gauge on the dash showing the oil temp? And is it accurate or should I add an aftermarket gauge?

Also, is it useful to have both an oil temp gauge and a water temp gauge? It is my daily driver and I sometimes tow a 30’ travel trailer.

I’ve already ordered autometer trans temp, EGT, and boost gauges and am hoping to get some clarification on the utility of monitoring oil/water temp. I have a fuel pressure gauge under the hood (came with efuel system) and will probably add one in-cab down the road.

 

[1997VAstroker]

Unclear what you are asking about the "Stock temperature gauge" The only stock temp gauge on both my trucks dash shows water temp. My main truck reads very accurate. Other truck not so much.
I do not run any aftermarket gauges on my main towing truck and I regularly pull over 10,000 pounds. I only have an intake and exhaust, so I am not to worried about heat for the exhaust or oil. On the transmission side of things, I do agree with a gauge if you are pulling hard grades regularly. I have big external trans coolers on both my trucks. Make sure yours does too.
FYI: put all your trucks information in your signature, so we will know what all has been done to it. It makes it easier to figure out what you may have going on.
Also welcome to the forum.

 

[Steve83]

This link takes you to your signature, and this page explains what to put in it:

(click this text)


Phone apps don't always show signatures, so you may need to switch to a real browser in desktop mode on your phone, or just use a desktop/laptop computer. Put your location (nearest city) in your profile & upload an avatar of the truck. The more pics you post of the truck, engine, wiring, labels, & undercarriage, the more likely we can help you. Not all its details are relevant to these issues, but you don't necessarily know which ones are relevant, so just put everything in now.

The stock temp gauge is coolant. Read this page & the NEXT several for more info:

(click this text)

 

[bobofthenorth]

It sticks in my mind that a trans temp gauge was an option at one point but not in 96 AFAIK. I bought a 96 new and immediately added a 3 pod gauge array on the A pillar. I had 2 x trans temp and an EGT. One trans temp was pan temperature and the other was in the outflow line to the cooler. As I recall I put the EGT ahead of the turbo.

On my current '05 I use a Scangauge to monitor the PIDs for oil & water temp. I don't recall the oil cooler being a common failure point on the 7.3s BICBW. I don't think you can ever have too many gauges - the challenge is to keep things looking somewhat under control in the cab. I get a lot of entertainment watching the oil/water temps chase each other. It takes a remarkably long time even in summer for the oil temp to get higher than the water temperature. In the winter its not unusual to drive for half an hour before they swap places.

Based on several years with the 2 trans temperature gauges and towing close to GCVW I have a simple rule of thumb for transmission temps while towing. "If the AC is on high the transmission is getting hot". The only times I ever saw dangerously high temperatures were idling through city traffic towing a heavy trailer on a hot day.

 

[Steve83]

...a hot day.

How about qualifying that for us? You're in Saskatchewan... What do you consider "hot"?

 

[oldblue96]

This link takes you to your signature, and this page explains what to put in it:

(click this text)


Phone apps don't always show signatures, so you may need to switch to a real browser in desktop mode on your phone, or just use a desktop/laptop computer. Put your location (nearest city) in your profile & upload an avatar of the truck. The more pics you post of the truck, engine, wiring, labels, & undercarriage, the more likely we can help you. Not all its details are relevant to these issues, but you don't necessarily know which ones are relevant, so just put everything in now.

The stock temp gauge is coolant. Read this page & the NEXT several for more info:

(click this text)

THANK YOU, that was extremely helpful.

 

[bobofthenorth]

How about qualifying that for us? You're in Saskatchewan... What do you consider "hot"?

I said if the AC is on max the trans is hot. That's a simple rule but in my experience its accurate.

 

[JGK]

I am by no means an expert, and my truck is an early super duty, and my understanding on the water temp gauge, the sensor is actually in the oil stream. At least on the vehicles with an automatic… I think the manual transmission trucks do have an actual coolant temperature sensor, but I’m not sure if it feeds the gauge or just the PCM.

But aside all of that, I certainly think a critical parameter to install a gauge on is fuel pressure. If I were putting in a gauge package it would be in my top three. I have the three normal gauges for my truck, but plan to add a fuel pressure gauge soon. On the OBS trucks with the mechanical pump, and with all of the flawed replacement pumps I read about in these forums… Just last week a guy wask
chasing down demons and it turned out to be consecutive, new out of the box, fuel pumps that were defective.

 

[klhansen]

...my truck is an early super duty, and my understanding on the water temp gauge, the sensor is actually in the oil stream. At least on the vehicles with an automatic… I think the manual transmission trucks do have an actual coolant temperature sensor, but I’m not sure if it feeds the gauge or just the PCM.

The superduty diesel trucks (both automatic and manual) have both a coolant temperature sensor and an engine oil temperature sensor. On the pickups, the CTS only connects to the gauge, not the PCM, and the EOT sensor only connects to the PCM. On gassers, the CTS connects to both the gauge and the PCM.

Steve's link says the diesel just gets a switch, which I think it the way that the superduty diesels are as well. They just go to mid-range of the gauge at key on unless an overheat condition occurs. The gauge is more of an idiot light than a gauge.