91 Laredo

In an attempt to fix my leaking transmission cooler line I found a few at the wrecking yard. Of course the one with one good top end had a bad lower end and vise versa. So basically I am taking both and splicing together with high temp rubber hose and clamps.

I attempted to flare each end of the metal lines, but it was a PITA to slip over and cut the hell out of the inside of the rubber line and after install started to leak again.

I got some new hose and new heavy duty clamps. Should I bother with the flare or just run it without? What are people doing with the after market tranny cooler lines?

For a little more detail its the top metal tranny cooler line off the radiator.

Oh, and I got the fitting aparts near the harmonic balancer and it seemed to go in pretty easy too, too easy.... Does this sound like a potential problem?

jd4x426

yor best bet is to get new lines but if you want to go that route get the brass coouplings flare your lines and put them together just like brakelines but i would recomend getting new because of the pressure in the lines

Howler_GT

I would trim off the flares you already put on and deburr the edges.
Re-flare BUT only enough to give you a little lip.

Keeping the hose from sliding off is what you want.
Slip (2) good hose clamps on each line before fitting hose.
I usually orient them so they are turned in opposite directions
You want a total of 4 per line.


As for the pressure.....
How much do you think is in the lines??
5psi, 10psi, 25psi, 65psi?

I know the answer. I'm just throwing that out as a rhetorical question.

Mattpar

yes!!! reflare those lines so that there is a lip for the hose clamp to catch on. My friend hacked in a trans cooler on my Grand cherokee and the hose blew off twice!!!!!

leaving for lunch[i worked 3rd shift at the time thus its a night] and luckly my manager was in the parking lot and yelled or i wouldnt have noticed until i was out on the main road wondering why my jeep wont move



Another time I was driving home from work in the morning, and the everything was going fine until i started slowing down, i pushed a little more on the gas pedal only to see the rev's go up the speed go down bad sign,... Pulled over into a parking lot to find another line he cut he didnt flare and the line had blew off,....

91 Laredo

How much pressure is in the line? I just cant figure out why the original tube would keep leaking at the fitting at the radiator. Its supposed to be a compression fitting and no matter how tight it was it would leak.

Howler_GT

Often times the metal can get small hairline cracks in it.

91 Laredo

Well guys, here is the franken-fitting...

Flared both ends and used high temp hose and 4 clamps 2 of which are the heavy duty stainless steel.

Tranny cooler lines are a hybrid off a comanchee and a ZJ

Spent about $10 for lines, hose, and clamps. After everything was done I called the stealer and it was only $10 for a new line .

Do you think it will hold? Everything appears to be sealed up and I dont want to remove again as the brass fitting on the radiator is starting to show some wear on both the threads and the end where the line seats.

What do you think?

mike37

if you didn't use hydraulic hose it will start to leak after a week
not bad but a constant

91 Laredo

Hydraulic hose?

I used high temp / high pressure hose. I tightened the clamps down pretty hard. So you think its going to start to leak again ?

I read about a lot of folks installing tranny coolers and not even flaring lines and not having leaks.

mike37

tranny fluid is bad on rubber hoses even gas hose
if the stuff you used is designed to holdup to Hydraulic fluid you should be good

whatever you used will work it just wont last as long if its not designed for ATF

moses

Keep a eye on it and save up for a new " correct line" a tranmission pricey fix!!!!

91 Laredo

[quote=moses;124580]Keep a eye on it and save up for a new " correct line" a tranmission pricey fix!!!![/quote

Not so much concerned with the price of the new line ($10). Just concerned that if I remove the line one more time the brass fitting on the radiator will be so distorted that it will never seat right again.

If thats the case than its time for another radiator as the brass fitting is built into the tank.

I will keep an eye on it and if it starts to seep again I will have to wing it and hope for the best.