Hi folks....on my '06 TJ Auto, I discovered that the transmission cooling line coming from the bottom passenger side of my radiator is leaking at the fitting where it connects further up the line (near the manifold). Can someone tell me what my repair options are and if this is a DIY job? The fitting is a crimp style fitting. Thanks.
Transmission line leak - repair options
- Thread starter Rcroane
- Start date
where the soft line meets up with the hard line? You might be able to find a shop that will make a new hose for your with that crimp on your hard line, but you may end up needing to replace the whole line. Aside from the inevitable ATF mess, replacing the line is a DIY job for sure...if you're into DIY jobs. Harder than changing your oil, easier than changing a water pump. It's a Tier 1 job; you don't have to remove anything else to do the repair.
Yes, the fitting where the soft line meets up with the hard line. I've changed a water pump, so I guess I can handle this. If I just want to replace the soft line, is there another kind of fitting that works well? I don't have a crimping tool.
Back in June of 2006 one of my transmission lines got bent and kinked where it is metal and runs under the shifter cable bracket. The only replacements I could find were sets of both lines for somewhere around $150, maybe even + shipping IDK.
Since I have better things to do with that much $$ I cut maybe 6 inches of the bad line out and replaced it with Transmission Oil Cooler Hose and used two hose clamps on each end of that. I ended up using probably closer to 2 ft of the hose so I could reroute it and have a nice loop instead of a 90 degree (ish) bend.
I will admit that I first used Fuel Line Hose and it started leaking at both connections when I drove down the driveway. I tightened up those clamps several times, which NEVER helped, before finding out that fuel line hose doesn't like Automatic transmission fluid.
After all that I sometimes wonder why I didn't just buy 15 ft of the right hose and replace and reroute it all at the same time.
Since I have better things to do with that much $$ I cut maybe 6 inches of the bad line out and replaced it with Transmission Oil Cooler Hose and used two hose clamps on each end of that. I ended up using probably closer to 2 ft of the hose so I could reroute it and have a nice loop instead of a 90 degree (ish) bend.
I will admit that I first used Fuel Line Hose and it started leaking at both connections when I drove down the driveway. I tightened up those clamps several times, which NEVER helped, before finding out that fuel line hose doesn't like Automatic transmission fluid.
After all that I sometimes wonder why I didn't just buy 15 ft of the right hose and replace and reroute it all at the same time.
Not sure, but I may have found a contributing factor. There is a ring fastener that supports the rubber portion of the line....it is attached to the bottom of the fan shroud. Mine had pulled loose and I wonder if the weight of the hanging line put pressure on the fitting where it connects to the hard line to cause the seepage I was getting. I've zip tied it back in place. We'll see if that helps. Using hose clamps instead of the crimped fitting sure seems like an easy fix. Thanks.
Well looking back at some pictures I forgot that the the kinked line ended up leaking from the transmission fitting after I tried to unkink it. That required a new type of fitting, I was very happy to find out it wasn't some kind of Chrysler special thread only, just regular pipe thread but can't recall if American or metric (if that is even available here)
Here's the kink
New pipe fittings beside the original:
Here's the first line I tried before the shifter cable bracket was put back on.
This is my longer hose which starts out aimed toward the rear of the Jeep to get around that shifter cable without going under the bracket.
Here the hose goes through a hose routing clamp while looping back towards the front.
Those pictures all show the fuel line before I added the second clamps which didn't help until the hose was replaced with Gates 8005278
Here's the kink
New pipe fittings beside the original:
Here's the first line I tried before the shifter cable bracket was put back on.
This is my longer hose which starts out aimed toward the rear of the Jeep to get around that shifter cable without going under the bracket.
Here the hose goes through a hose routing clamp while looping back towards the front.
Those pictures all show the fuel line before I added the second clamps which didn't help until the hose was replaced with Gates 8005278
When I had my transmission out last summer I contemplated why I needed to hassle with the hard lines. Seems like a couple AN fittings & hose would make life easier than routing the hard lines around obstacles. Or maybe they would get too close to the exhaust? I surely don't know, and probably will only find out the hard way once I have an issue with my OEM lines.
I have a really dumb question about my leak at the crimp fitting. What would actually cause it to leak? Doesn't the fitting just keep the soft line from pulling off the hard line? In my situation, the fluid is seeping out the back end of the fitting (away from the hard line). Does this mean there is probably a split in the soft line? My understanding is that the line is not under high pressure, so I guess I'm confused how the fluid is getting out. Like I said, probably a really dumb question. Thanks.