[VAC] Re: Transmission Oil Temp and Use of OD

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

J.L.,
 It isn't as simple as "tapping a hole" in the pan as the pan is
sheetmetal and isn't thick enough for that. You need to add a tapped
fitting. Although they probably make something commercially, I just
soldered a brass pipe reducer bushing (from the local hardware store) to
the side of the pan and screwed the sending unit into that. It might be
better to silver solder it, but I was too lazy to fire up the acetylene
torch and a bit afraid of warping the pan with the heat, so I just used
soft solder. Anyway, if the oil gets hot enough to melt that, I probably
have bigger problems anyway.

There's two things you have to be careful of: the sending unit must not
hit anything inside of the pan and it must not be directly under a bolt
or you can't get the latter in. (don't ask how I know about that!
<<grin>>)

While I was at it, I soldered another fitting (3/4 X 1/4 reducing
bushing) to the bottom of the pan to make it easier to drain the oil.
The regular way to drain the oil is to remove all the bolts except for
one, allowing the pan to drop down and the oil to run out...all over
everything, missing your drain pan completely.

Some say to put the sending unit in a 'Tee' fitting in the line going to
the cooler, some say to put it in the line FROM the cooler, others say
to put it in the pan. I figured that the oil in the pan is what the
transmission is seeing, so that'd be best. Frankly, I don't think it
makes just a whole lot of difference.

                                          <<Jim>>