Where do you prefer to locate your trans temp sensor, in the pan or coming out of the tranny in the cooler line?
I have mine located in the cooler line coming out of the trans (hottest temp) and I am considering moving it to the pan this Summer when I upgrade to a deeper pan. But I am curious where you locate yours and why.
Thanks

I ran mine in the deep pan. I just felt it gave me the cooled fluids working temperature. You could run both with a switch to toggle between.

I run mine in-da-pan ... but I know guys who run BOTH .... with an electric gauge with a switch .... right off the vert and in the pan. The vert point can be scary ....

I had one of mine in trans pan and then in the front servo like the Cummins Tubo Deisel Network recommends for the Dodge Cummins powered trucks, I didn't see any real differences in the temps. The hot fluids coming out of the front of the trans to the cooler is not what the trans. pumps through the trans. It pumps and operates on the cooler fluids returning into the pan from the rear cooler return line

""The hot fluids coming out of the front of the trans to the cooler is not what the trans. pumps through the trans. It pumps and operates on the cooler fluids returning into the pan from the rear cooler return line.""

I did not think of it this way. I knew that the hottest fluid temp came from the front line due to the converter, but I did not think that the rest of the fluid in the tranny was the same temp as what is in the pan.
Thanks for the clarification. I will look for a pan with the sensor mounting lug.

Note: I am finding that the fluid coming out of my new 9.5" converter is about 10-15 degrees warmer than what it was with my old 10" converter during cruising during the same outside temps. The trans temp now on the front line is usually the same as the engine temp (apx 195 after 20-30 minutes of driving). It does spike to 205-210 after spirited driving but it comes back down to the 190-200 area during cruising speeds. This is with the fluid plumbed thru the radiator and then to a 14x10 cooler out front.
When I change the fluid after my 500 mile break-in period, I will get a pan with the sensor bung and an additional 2 quart capacity.

Thank you all for the replies.

I decided to move the sensor from the front trans line to the return line after the radiator and aux cooler. (If I get my new pan this Winter I will move the sensor to the pan.)

After running it all weekend I now know that my radiator and 14x10 aux cooler cools the fluid down from 205ish (front line) during hard driving to 180 during hard driving. I run a 195 thermostat so the trans fluid looks to be in a safe temp zone.
I just wanted to let others know the difference between the fluid temps from the front line to the return line and I am now using a 3800 convertor and a standard depth trans pan.
Do you think that I still need to look into a deep pan when the fluid temps are in the 180 range after hard street driving?

Thanks

I used to monitor my tranny temp with the senders and a guage. Now, I just use a $40 temp gun from Harbor Freight. I read the temp of the fluid coming into the cooler, going out of the cooler and the outside of the pan.

After doing that a few times in different driving conditions and making a few notes, I have a handle on what the tranny and cooler combo is doing. I occasionally check them just to be sure everything is the same.

I never knew there were so many uses for a temp gun till I bought one.

I wouldn't worry at all with 180F tranny fluid temps SAE recommends having at LEAST 160 F trans fluid temps to keep the additives in the fluids at the proper operating temps Petroluem based tranny fluids will start to turn the dye in the fluids from red to brown around 280 to 300 F and then turn to black at or above 325F temps My old Ram 2500 CTD with the trailer towing package never got the fluids above 130 F Summer or Winter in the Mojave desert in SO CA Unless I was towing my enclosed race trailer with the car in it The most Temps. I ever saw on that gauge was 230 F going up the 18 mile long Baker grade on I15 during the middle of the day in August with the outside air temps at 117 F I would change the tranny fluids on every engine oil and filter change(3500 miles usually) to get rid of the condensation in the tranny fluid