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converter lock up when cold

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chevynut502

New member
does any one know how to make the trans shift into od and lock out the converter faster in cold weather. the engine is at full temp for 5 mins before it even thinks about locking the converter. this is for a 2001 gp gt 3.8l with the 4t65e. is there a sensor to look for or something i can bypass. my old gp would lock the converter as soon as the engine hit 100 deg. this one is at 195 for a full 5 mins before lock .up. any ideas would be appricated. thanks.:th_scratchhead:
 


You have the stock cooler in the rad right? (no aftermarket coolers) I wouldn't worry about it if it's stock, that's done intentionally to get the trans up to a more "comfortable" temperature faster. I've got a standalone cooler and I'm at 195° engine temp for like 8 minutes before mine will lockup. I'm at 3k rpm's at 70mph lol but it doesn't stay like that for very long.
 
The only thing I can say is start your car and let it warm up. That way when the trans oil starts circulating through the radiator, it will be warm coming back to the trans. Not sure if that significantly aides in the warming of the trans but that's what I do.
 
I have a similar problem. I am getting a check engine light on really cold mornings for the torque converter. Is the torque converter really bad or is it just cold and I am not letting the engine warm enough?
 
stocker said:
The only thing I can say is start your car and let it warm up. That way when the trans oil starts circulating through the radiator, it will be warm coming back to the trans. Not sure if that significantly aides in the warming of the trans but that's what I do.
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Yeah that will warm the trans up once the t-stat opens. Not in my case with the cooler though.

dman623 said:
I have a similar problem. I am getting a check engine light on really cold mornings for the torque converter. Is the torque converter really bad or is it just cold and I am not letting the engine warm enough?
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Whats the code?
 


dman623 said:
I have a similar problem. I am getting a check engine light on really cold mornings for the torque converter. Is the torque converter really bad or is it just cold and I am not letting the engine warm enough?
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I couldn't tell ya, I'm kind of a newb. Get the code - sounds like 02NavyBlue can help.

02NavyBlue said:
Not in my case with the cooler though.
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That's why I put my cooler inline. Both have their (dis)advantages.

chevynut502 said:
I am getting a magnetic pan heater to warm up the trans. I hate watching the gas mileage go down waiting to go into lockup.
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That sounds like a good option if your pan is steel. I still haven't figured out if the lockup happens at a certain engine or trans fluid temp.
 


Fivefingerdeathpunch said:
Trans fluid temp must reach 70ish degrees before converter will fully lock.

So likely its just taking longer to reach that.
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So I've spent some time monitoring engine and transmission fluid temp compared to when the converter will lock and Fivefingerdeathpunch seems to be correct. Once the lockup happens the trans temp on the HUD jumps over 70 within 30 seconds or less. The lockup isn't dependent on engine temp as I had thought before.
 
I've been curious how extreme cold affects our tranny's. The temps here in Kansas have been around 14* and it's been taking a good 10 minutes for my tranny to reach 89*. And that's while driving. I can't wait around forever, burning up fuel just to war the car up. Can the tranny be damaged by extreme cold?
 
Not under normal conditions. Just keep it light on the pedal until it's up to at least around 50° and no harm should be done. I'm running an independent cooler and somehow idling in the morning warms the trans up too.
 
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