F150 Ecoboost overheating offroad

J

jbear223

New member
Hello. I have a 2019 F150 3.5 Eco with the 10speed auto. I do understand these these trucks run hotter than what many of us are used to but I have a question about that.

When Im out in the desert or up in the Sierras, driving slowly, 2wd or 4wd the tranny runs 205-220. Hot, but apparently normal operating range.
I had to switch to 4Lo to go up a steep rocky hill, 5 - min tops and the tranny temp was at 240. I was at about 8k elevation, mid-upper 70's temp.
I don't have a digital gauge for the coolant yet, that needle didn't move as far as I can tell.

Does anyone have any experience adding an additional fan to the radiator? Theres not a ton of room. I looked at an upgraded intercooler, but the truck is new and I don't want to have any
warranty claim issues yet and also since I spend a lot of time sub 10mph, I don't see how much the new IC would help.

What do you guys think about this issue?
 
badm0t0rfinger

badm0t0rfinger

Raptor Apologist.
Check the thermostat and the radiator cap. They shouldn't be an issue this early on but its not unheard of.

I'm an idiot and didn't read. Check the transmission cooler, I seem to remember someone posting something about there being a blockage in his trans cooler line from the factory.
 
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D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
There are a few things that you can do:

1. Take it to the dealer, talk to them. There is a valve that's in the coolant line that might be stuck or not opening all the way.

2. Remove the shutters behind the grill, they might be closed, thus blocking any air flow.

3. Install an aftermarket tranny cooler and bypass the tranny cooler in the radiator.

4. IIRC the 2019 has an "oil to water" cooler built into the radiator and might not have an "oil to air" transmission cooler.

5. Make sure the electric fans are working.
 
B

buellconvert

Active member
I don't know about the newer Ford's, but I do know that the newer Chevrolet's with the 6 and 8 sp transmissions are running much hotter trans temps than years past...they claim it's part of the design or a byproduct of the design, might be a better way to put it. They say up to 240° is acceptable and normal in certain situations

Sent from my moto e6 using Tapatalk
 
Grassland

Grassland

Well-known member
@ what temp does ten transmission fluid break down or lose performance in the new the speed units?

In my 2014 sans auxiliary transmission cooler I did notice my fans had a higher speed. Never ever heard them go to the high speed until doing a logging road switch back up a mountain in BC. That's when I also noticed my transmission temp almost at the yellow. No temp read out though.
 
luthj

luthj

Engineer In Residence
Most trans will run plus/minus 20F from the coolant temp. Is this trans temp the pan temp or somewhere else?

240F is fine for a quality synthetic trans fluid. But I would expect lower given the winter weather. The TC clutch will modulate to reduce heat buildup of the temps rise too high. You will find most autos will run much hotter in low range when climbing.

Removing the trans to coolant heat exchanger can accelerate wear in cold climates by increasing trans warm-up time. It depends if the trans has an internal thermostat. I think the 10 speed might?

Take it to the dealer if you are worried. Ford knows how to make a transmission, so if the temps are typical, then there is no concern.

Similar things happen when people see the oil temps on the small turbo engines. They panic when they see 240F, when it can be completely normal and harmless.
 
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D

Deleted member 9101

Guest
luthj said:
Most trans will run plus/minus 20F from the coolant temp. Is this trans temp the pan temp or somewhere else?

240F is fine for a quality synthetic trans fluid. But I would expect lower given the winter weather. The TC clutch will modulate to reduce heat buildup of the temps rise too high. You will find most autos will run much hotter in low range when climbing.

Removing the trans to coolant heat exchanger can accelerate wear in cold climates by increasing trans warm-up time. It depends if the trans has an internal thermostat. I think the 10 speed might?

Take it to the dealer if you are worried. Ford knows how to make a transmission, so if the temps are typical, then there is no concern.

Similar things happen when people see the oil temps on the small turbo engines. They panic when they see 240F, when it can be completely normal and harmless.
Click to expand...


The 10R80 does have a thermostat and it can be "upgraded." It is also a pretty hot running tranny that runs at temps that would smoke other units.

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One problem all Ecoboost trucks have is building lots of engine heat quickly while under load (boost), and then the oil-water transmission cooler in the radiator picks up that heat and transfers it to the transmission. I can watch my boost gauge rise when I climb a hill while pulling a heavy trailer, then the engine temp rises, and then the transmission temps rise...lol. Happens on every long hill. It never gets close to overheating or even the upper limits of the operating temp, but it is a noticeable phenomenon.

For me, I am just going to ditch the oil-water portion of the cooler and run a massive ( think 6.0 Powerstroke OEM upgrade tranny cooler) oil-air cooler in the stock location one of these days. The internal thermostat will still let it warm up to operating temp, but it will not spike afterwards once it's start getting worked.
 
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N

(none)

Adventurer
No mechanical fan on the new f150s. Are the electric fans coming on when you are seeing those temps? Do you have the towing package? I thought they came with an air to oil cooler. As mentioned, your coolant temps are probably around 220-230F at that time, about normal for these newer vehicles. Does the trans temp creep to 240 then just stay there?
 
Buliwyf

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Grassland said:
@ what temp does ten transmission fluid break down or lose performance in the new the speed units?

In my 2014 sans auxiliary transmission cooler I did notice my fans had a higher speed. Never ever heard them go to the high speed until doing a logging road switch back up a mountain in BC. That's when I also noticed my transmission temp almost at the yellow. No temp read out though.
Click to expand...

300. (ZF)
 
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