Transmission cooler lines leaking or somehting else?

russeld · March 28, 2007

Hey guys..this morning i woke up and thoguht after a long COLD "F" ing winter i would work on my truck.

everything was smooth until i started the car.

Transmission fluid was leaking out of these lines i'm not sure what they are called. there is two of them that runs from the front of the car to the back.

i will take a look at it tomorrow morning.

As of now i believe its the Transmission oil cooler lines. when i looked at the leak it was not a small leak it was like blood squirting out of a headless body!!! :salute:

can i fix this on my own?

i worked on cars and i worked on bikes..but what freaks me out is i have not worked on this truck before but i have all the tools required(atleast i hope so)

i looked into the haynes Manual and i couldn't find anything on changing the lines.

does anyone know of a good read with pictures if possible on the internet?

if so please contact me rusholle@hotmail.com

thanks for all your help.

Russ

BrooklynBay · March 28, 2007

Welcome to this forum! Which area do you have the leak? It might be leaking from a small rubber hose which is connected to the front cooler if your leak is in the very front where the radiator is located. The metal lines could leak, but the rubber ones would suddenly break, and pour out fluid as you have previously described.

mikeinri · March 28, 2007

The metal ones are no fun (AT ALL), so start with the rubber ones. Mine were leaking too, making a big mess in the driveway, and I finally got around to changing them this winter. You're right, the Haynes manual was no help. I replaced the rubber lines, no more leaks!

The rubber lines connect to the metal ones just under/behind the radiator. They route under the radiator and AC condensor, through a bracket, and up to the tranny cooler.

You need to remove the front grill (Haynes manual does help with this) to get better access at the hoses on the cooler. Replace the rubber lines and hose clamps, many people suggest doubling up on the clamps.

If you still have a leak after that, it's time to investigate the metal lines. Those connect to the tranny on the passenger side, front of tranny, near the top of the tranny. No fun to access these at all. Ford doesn't sell replacements, you have to remove the existing and fit up to stock lines, and bend to match.

Hope this helps!

Mike

russeld · March 28, 2007

leak

oh i forgot to mention whats leaking...

the leak is from the metal lines not rubber hoses.

now i'm wondering do i need to bend my own lines or can i just buy them from FORD?

russeld · March 28, 2007

mikeinri said:
....... radiator. They route under the radiator and AC condensor, through a bracket, and up to the tranny cooler.

.....this helps!

Mike

EXACTLY MIKEY, that bracket that is welded on both to keep them together is the exact place its leaking from.

how do i fix this issue.

can i just use sand the lines down and then use a soldering gun to fix this?

BrooklynBay · March 28, 2007

If the metal line is leaking from a pin hole in one area, you could cut the tubing, and use high pressure hose, and clamps to repair it. There is no need to replace, and custom bend an entire line.

russeld · March 28, 2007

BrooklynBay said:
If the metal line is leaking from a pin hole in one area, you could cut the tubing, and use high pressure hose, and clamps to repair it. There is no need to replace, and custom bend an entire line.

okay so how do you cut these lines?

last thing i want to do is cut the part thats busted and pinch the parts not broken and then have a huge mess on my hand. if i just use snips to cut it won't it pinch or squash the exisitng lines?

BrooklynBay · March 28, 2007

Don't use snips. Use a small tubing cutter, or a fine hacksaw blade. Try not to bend the line in the process. If you don't want to use a rubber hose, you could use a brass compression coupling. The size of the line might be either 5/16" or 3/8". Compare the piece which gets cut off to the fitting.

mikeinri · March 29, 2007

russeld...

Are you SURE it's leaking from the metal lines, as in you've been under there with the truck running and wiped it clean and saw it coming out of the metal?

The reason I ask is, mine are rusty too, and they were wet so I assumed they were leaking. However, after I replaced the rubber lines, I have no more leak, so the metal lines weren't actually leaking after all.

Doing the rubber lines is much easier, and they are probably shot anyway. Just trying to save you some work and aggravation in the big picture.

Oh, and my rubber lines were leaking so badly that the entire front of the AC condensor was blocked up with fluid and road grime, which dramatically affected operation of the AC, as well as the cooling system efficiency. I wouldn't have figured that out until I removed the grill to replace the rubber lines.

Mike

russeld · March 29, 2007

mikeinri said:
russeld...

Are you SURE it's leaking from the metal lines, as in you've been under there with the truck running and wiped it clean and saw it coming out of the metal?

The reason I ask is, mine are rusty too, and they were wet so I assumed they were leaking. However, after I replaced the rubber lines, I have no more leak, so the metal lines weren't actually leaking after all.

Doing the rubber lines is much easier, and they are probably shot anyway. Just trying to save you some work and aggravation in the big picture.

Oh, and my rubber lines were leaking so badly that the entire front of the AC condensor was blocked up with fluid and road grime, which dramatically affected operation of the AC, as well as the cooling system efficiency. I wouldn't have figured that out until I removed the grill to replace the rubber lines.

Mike

i know bro what you mean but #### dude i had the car running to at this point the oil pump is up and running and when i went under to look where its coming from its like ####ing Niagara falls squirting from the metal line...i'm just gonna take some rubber line and clamp it over the leak and hopfully it will stop!!!

mikeinri · March 29, 2007

NICE! Use double clamps, and consider that a temporary fix... I think you run a risk of rust creeping into the system through the hole that's basically patched over.

russeld · March 29, 2007

mikeinri said:
NICE! Use double clamps, and consider that a temporary fix... I think you run a risk of rust creeping into the system through the hole that's basically patched over.

yep just to get it to the shop instead of paying $200 to get it towed by a flat bed..####ign tow truck guys!! hate them!

mikeinri · March 29, 2007

Two things...

1. AAA is worth twice what they charge when you own an older vehicle.

2. You absolutely, positively do NOT need a flatbed for an Explorer UNLESS its AWD (doesn't apply to Gen 1) or the t-case is stuck in 4WD. With the t-case in 2WD (normal mode), it's a regular 2WD vehicle.

Having said that, AAA will always send a flatbed if you tell them it's a 4x4 truck, out of a perception that they're covering their a$$es...

Good luck, let me know how much they charge you to replace those metal lines. I've thought about having it done, because I don't like the look of the rust on there, and it looks like a pain in the keister to replace them myself without a lift, etc.

Mike

Transmission cooler lines leaking or somehting else?

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