How to remove fitting on Radiator for Tranny cooler

[Buckshot]

Ok - I must be dense because I cannot find any reference in the service manual or on this site how to de-couple/replace the fitting on the back of the radiator to the tranny cooler. Trying to help a buddy out with his 93 and he has a pretty good leak at the lower driver's side radiator fitting for the tranny cooler. Thinking the fitting is crushed or twisted oddly. Hoping it's not the hardline itself.

I see all kinds of info for the 5/8-18 threaded nipple to replace the existing hardline connection with a flex hose, but not for the flare/hardline fitting from the factory configuration.

Maybe this is a no-brainer type of thing, but it doesn't look like the same type of hardware for the quick hardline connections like on the fuel filter.

Any help is appreciated. I need to have parts and everything ready he's on a tight timeline before some road trips.

I'm sure it's one of those things that once you get into it, its a "duh", but I wanted to do the research up front and make sure I had the right tools.

Thanks!

 

[410Fortune]

The back of the radiator meaning the engine side.
On the drivers side tank of the radiator there are two fittings for the trans cooler, correct?
If this is what you are talking about, which one is leaking upper or lower?
I assume it leaking lower because you said the line to the trans cooler.

The side tank of the radiator has threaded inserts stamped into it. This is the largest nut. Hold this nut with a wrench as you loosen the metal hard line where it goes into the rad, again a wrench on the smaller nut (the line)

The hard lines are a simple single flare and use standard size pipe fittings.
It is pretty straight forward, just dont turn the nut on the radiator fitting.

This is not a high pressure system and the metal hard lines can be replaced with rubber trans cooler line using a simple flare, etc. Replacement fittings are available at most auto parts stores.
If the leak is from the side tank of the radiator it might be new rad/rebuild time.

 

[Buckshot]

Yes drivers side lower on the engine side of the radiator.

Leak is from the inside of the nut where it attaches to the hardline as if the flare is not seated right.

He had the thing repaired in a garage MEXICO (Not NEW Mexico) and not to be predjudiced or anything since I would think the same thing of the stealer down the street from me, but I suspect a botched job or potentially a bubble flare connector (typical VW/foreign car) mismatched with the stock double flare hardline (Ford/most domestics).

Just speculation at this point on that though.

Thanks for the help - I think I'll end up replacing it with flex line - I just was trying to figure out if it was like a compression fitting and I could just replace the little ball inside the compression fitting instead of working the flare in a flare fitting.

 

[410Fortune]

nope just a simple single flare, if its leaking where I think it is then its the radiator plastic side tank. A local rad place might be able to repair it, I dont know, I have never taken those fittings out as they are part of the radiator