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right under my shifter it's getting really hot.


Gabriel
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I think that some people have reported decreases in temp like you are describing by installing an external trannie cooler, so my guess is your stock cooler is plugged. Needs to be looked at soon to avoid trannie damage.

 

Of course there will be more knowledgeable people posting on this as well, maybe other causes as well.

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After the trucks been run for awhile, if you reach your finger underneath the console and carpet...if your finger burns or is excessively hot, chances are good that your stock tranny cooler is plugged. That's the exact symptom my '95 AT displayed.

 

If you're not running an after market tranny cooler...I highly recommend spending about $150 to have one installed. (You can do it yourself for about $60-80) It's good to keep your tranny going and will cool things down under the console significantly. It will also help shifting as more fluid will be able to reach the tranny.

 

Check out the product reviews forum...many people have written about what they've put in their Pathys.

 

Good luck!

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Um, yeah... As has been said, please install a tranny cooler ASAP !! It'll cost about 5% of what a tranny rebuild will... Make sure to replace the tranny fluid also.

 

am i just paranoyed?

To a certain extent, paranoia is good !! ;)

 

 

B

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There could be another cause here......

 

it could also be an exhaust leak in the Y-pipe area that's causing the heat. I had the issue, and had it eat through my floorboard!!!

 

Anyways, a tranny cooler is still an excellent idea, as the stockers are prone to clogging, but it might be a good idea to check the exhaust joints in the area as well.

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I understand the Y pipe leak issue, and that certainly wouldn't help things, but to get so hot, wouldn't you hear and/or smell it ??? I make a point of occasionally driving with the stereo off and the windows down just to hear the cacophony of creaks, thuds and squeals my truck makes to determine if anything is seriously wrong or about to fall off... :D

 

B

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You might, if it wasn't a hairline leak. It's not big enough to make any extra noise, or to smell, for some reason....... but it's large enough to let the VERY hot exhaust out, and, as in my case, accelerate the effects of salt used in winter. I've thought I'd be able to smell it as well, but I can't. Strange, I know. :shrug:

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Good points mentioned here.

 

I'll repeat a few:

 

-Cooler time as many suggested.

 

-Check the rubber shifter boots. Those hold a ton of heat out. Even one small crack will heat things up.

 

-Make sure your heat shield is still attached to the Y pipe downstream from the flange.

 

-If your vehicle is exposed to winter environements, make sure there are no holes in the drivers side floor board.

 

-Leakage from the Y pipe flange will burn a hole in your floor board. You won't notice this with the carpet underlayment and carpet for quite some time.

 

-I've read quite a few storys about fires starting from this leak, myself included.

 

Long hill climb on the highway, smoke started to pour out of the vents, wha-laa! Floor carpet catches fire and one panicked Mookie jumps out cutting out the carpet and emptying the fire extinguisher. With the hill, my CB didnt' get the range for desperate calls for more extinguishers. Another reason why I got my Ham license.

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Long hill climb on the highway, smoke started to pour out of the vents, wha-laa! Floor carpet catches fire and one panicked Mookie jumps out cutting out the carpet and emptying the fire extinguisher. With the hill, my CB didnt' get the range for desperate calls for more extinguishers. Another reason why I got my Ham license.

Wow! :blink: That's pretty crazy...almost sounds like a total loss. Back in high school I had a couple friends that burned up their cars after their "boyfriend" installed their stereos. Insurance was denied due to incompetent stereo installer. Bummer.

 

I dunno about the "hairline" exhaust fracture. If it's big enough to build up significant heat while driving down the road, I'd expect to see carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms when driving slow or stopped. I've been poisoned by carbon monoxide several times and even in small amounts you'll feel the effects. (Light headed, nauseaus, headaches, out-of-body type feelings...it's weird)

 

I'm still going with tranny cooler...that's just the most likely scenario. Mookie did bring up some excellent points, though.

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I've got the tranny cooler installed on my pathy, but it still gets hot around the console while driving real slow(like on the beach). I check my 4x4 shifter from time to time to see what kinda heat it's putting out.

 

One major factor is the OD. If you turn that off unless you plan on running 50mph+ that will help. I've noticed mine go from REAL hot too cool way down in about 5 mins by just turning off the overdrive. I've heard it's not good to run around in OD if you hardly ever get over 45mph like with city driving.

 

Lastly, get a quart of Lucus Tranny fluid fix stuff(says it stops slipping and hard shifting). I've used it and noticed a big difference in shifting in about 1 mile. That stuff might not help with your heat problem, but it will help the life of your tranny... ALL LUCUS PRODUCT ARE SOLID GOLD IN MY BOOK. I used that stuff back when I was driving an 18wheeler at the request of my company mechanics, so when I noticed it was on the market for regular cars/trucks I was very happy. It's a little pricey, but well worth it.

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The heat will be present regardless of whether or not the cooler is plugged up. Heat rises, there are many very hot things under there and it's only natural to have hot air coming through a ripped boot, especially when it's being forced through while you're driving.

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