[ajm786]

I have a question about the 4T65-E transmission temps.

I have a 1999 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight LS which has a 4T65-E transmission. I also have a 1995 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight Royale LS that has a 4T60-E transmission.

After driving each car for about 30 minutes, if I get out of the car and just stand next to the engine bay, I can feel that the 99 is MUCH HOTTER than the 95. Also, the temp gauge in the 99 always sticks around maybe 210-220F, where as in the 95, the temp gauge NEVER goes above 210, even on the hottest days.

I was wondering if this was due to the different transmissions, and whether or not the 4T60-E runs much cooler than the 4T65-E. The cars obviously have the exact same engine (3800 GenII). I've been reading around on forums and have seen plenty of discussion but never a solid consensus on whether or not to run a trans cooler; I'd rather not, but if it's going to give me longer net life on my transmission, I would do it.

I'm not racing my car or anything, just using it as a daily driver. I just finished replacing all the solenoids in the trans (unbelievably hard job), and the car is running fine now. The 99 has all new fluids and a new trans fluid filter. I also flushed and got rid of the crap Dexcool and replaced it with regular green, and installed a 180 thermostat. I admit I have not programmed the PCM for the 180F fan trigger temps. Also, I'd like to know how to tell if my rad is working properly and not suffering from any type of possible blockage.

Thanks!