Transmission Coolant Line

I was wondering if anyone has had a problem with their Transmission Coolant Line. Have a '94 Cherokee and took it in the other day for a routine checkup and they said that it needs to be replaced. What can be going wrong w/ it that it needs to be replaced ?

Also, has anyone replaced it themselves (if so can you give me details)? Or do you take it to the dealer ? How much do you think it shoudl cost apprx. ?

Thanks !

Josh.

You have two lines: 1-high pressure/supply line. This supplies ATF to the cooler.
2-return line. Runs from the cooler back to the Transmission.
They both are mostly hard steel line with the exception of a couple sections of rubber hose where the line needs to run around the bottom of motor ect.
The rubber flex section of the high pressure line goes bad from years of hot corrosive fluid running at high pressure.
They both are easy to replace with little or no more than a screw driver and pliers(simple snap-in connections) at the most.
They both cost from the dealer about $50-$60 a pop so if both are bad it's more expensive than you'd WANT to pay but the junk yards around me either don't want to sell them or don't keep them around. sucks cuz I need both and am trying to avoid paying full cost.
Any way, they are both easy to replace on your own and it also gives you an excuse to drain and refill your tranny with fresh fluid.

If its leakingg rom the rubber sections under the engine which is common, cut the stock permanent clamps off using a dremel on both sides and replace with 5/16 tranny rubber hose and put a couple of clamps on and you should be good to go. I see no reason to replace a large portion of metal lne only if a small piece is leaking.

I did it last week and it took about an hour which was mostly cutting the original clamp.

pete

good, thought. cheap too.

jeepsrock said:

If its leakingg rom the rubber sections under the engine which is common, cut the stock permanent clamps off using a dremel on both sides and replace with 5/16 tranny rubber hose and put a couple of clamps on and you should be good to go. I see no reason to replace a large portion of metal lne only if a small piece is leaking.

I did it last week and it took about an hour which was mostly cutting the original clamp.

pete

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Did the same thing. Been running for about 6 months with this setup. No problems.

jeepsrock said:

If its leakingg rom the rubber sections under the engine which is common, cut the stock permanent clamps off using a dremel on both sides and replace with 5/16 tranny rubber hose and put a couple of clamps on and you should be good to go. I see no reason to replace a large portion of metal lne only if a small piece is leaking.

I did it last week and it took about an hour which was mostly cutting the original clamp.

pete

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pete, do you have any pics of your setup? i want to do the same thing but im kinda lost on exactly how to go about it, thanks
Drew

I have that same problem and would like to see some picks too...

I'm too cheep to pay dealer prices..

Thanks

also how hard would it be to throw a tranny cooler in that same setup?

XJhammer said:

I have that same problem and would like to see some picks too...

I'm too cheep to pay dealer prices..

Thanks

also how hard would it be to throw a tranny cooler in that same setup?

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Already has one unless you want an external and it wouldn't be hard. Just bypass your stock one.

So if I just go to the dealer, ask for both of the supply and return lines i can do it myself ? What all is involved in switching them out ?

Thanks...i really appreciate the help, we're kinda tight on money but I want to to it the right way...

jeepsrock said:

If its leakingg rom the rubber sections under the engine which is common, cut the stock permanent clamps off using a dremel on both sides and replace with 5/16 tranny rubber hose and put a couple of clamps on and you should be good to go. I see no reason to replace a large portion of metal lne only if a small piece is leaking.

I did it last week and it took about an hour which was mostly cutting the original clamp.

pete

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You need to be real careful with this advice. I did the very same thing a year ago to "cut costs and corners" and all was tight and good to go, nine months later I was going down the road and half my tranny fluid was pumped out. Lucky I was in town and moving slow so I caught it fast. I have learned to just do it the right way, even if that means saving just a little more each month.

ryderxxxmc said:

So if I just go to the dealer, ask for both of the supply and return lines i can do it myself ? What all is involved in switching them out ?

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Yup, get the supply and return lines, if you have an external cooler there will be another line involved as well. I've done this in the parking lot at CB+Potts as well as along the side of I-25...I hate it yet it's pretty straightforward.

You may as well pick up at least one "Quick Disconnect" fitting as well. Those are little more than a hex-shaped body that screws into the side of your tranny and houses a couple of o-rings inside the body...this is where the tranny line will connect.


The above picture is one I put up on last fall when my hardlines BOTH failed within 4 weeks of each other, both of them cracked right at the flange where it meets the o-rings. Be very careful when reassembling that you don't put a lot of stress on this part.

Get a can of WD-40 with the red plastic extension, and use that to spray out the gunk in the QD fittings themselves. Once they are cleaned out, the tabs will unlock pretty easily, allowing you to pull the hardline out.

The composite picture below shows the (pressure?) line for my '96 as well as a smaller line that continues up to the external cooler. I've had them for a few months, maybe it's almost time to install them soon...

ryderxxxmc said:

So if I just go to the dealer, ask for both of the supply and return lines i can do it myself ? What all is involved in switching them out ?

Thanks...i really appreciate the help, we're kinda tight on money but I want to to it the right way...

Click to expand...

They use a quick-disconnect similar to the one on the fuel rail. If your Jeep is old and rusty, it might be difficult to get the old ones off cleanly, especially at the radiator end, and you'll almost certainly need new O-rings. Check whether these come with the new lines.

Otherwise, the job is essentially plug and play. I think there are a couple of little brackets you'll have to undo, but that's about it. The lines are pre-bent, and designed pretty cleverly, so you can't accidentally mix them up.

It occurs to me that before you spring for new lines, you should probably make sure that the leakage is not just at those fittings. You can get new seals for them if it is.

Good point about the brackets and clips; there are a couple S-shaped spring clips that hold the lines together while providing clearance - don't lose those. I picked up a couple extra ones from a donor Jeep so my tranny lines are firmly in place. The lines themselves are held along the side of the block by small metal tabs and screws...nothin fancy but definitely essential to keeping the hardlines from flexing and cracking.

Ok, I know this is an old post of mine but my g/f's dad decided he wanted to get the lines replaced for her. So he go it done, then I went to change the oil the day after they were done and noticed that the one joint was leaking considerably. Her dad took it back to the garage the next day (today) and they said now that the entire radiator needs to be replaces because "thsi happens alot, that the ends are corroded or rusted out and that they don't seal right after that" I think it's a bunch of bullshit that they didn't realize it was leaking before it left, and that now all of a sudden it's going to cost another 200 bucks or more to get a new radiator.

What are your thoughts on it, what type of radiator (stock or aftermarket) should be put on if it really does need a new one ?

GOD I"M PI$$ED

Is there really a need to change teh whole radiator ? And if so, which would you recommend .. CDI, CSF, or Modine (2 row, or 3 row) and whats' teh difference b/w them all. I don't want to have to change anything else just the radiator (plug and play basically). Can you guys let me know ASAP since her dad is a lil bit of a nut and will go 'listenin to the dealer' and spend way too much of her money and not get her money's worth out of it.

Thanks !!!! I really appreciate it...so does her little red babe jeep. LOL. (i'll send pics if you reply ;-) )

I did similar to jeeprocks. I did NOT cut off the enlarged ring on the metal line. Instead, I used this as a backing so the clamps would not, or at least would be extremely difficult to, back off. I pushed the replacement rubber hose over this ring and used two hose clamps for added security. It has been this way for about 8 months or so without issue.
FYIW,I also bypassed the factory trans cooler in the radiator and installed 2 B&M type coolers in front of the radiator and A/C condensor. I used the hose clamps for this as well and have not had any problems there as of yet.

DPG has a CSF three-row rad for $155--best price I've seen.

Would any rubber hose do? Or something special to deal with the hot fluid?

It is likely the dealer dorked up the radiator, but not much you can do about it.

You can just get a new one through Radiatorbarn or an eBay for <$100.00. It is very easy to replace. You did not say what year jeep hers is but, this is for the 91-01
eBay

Muddy_XJ said:

Would any rubber hose do? Or something special to deal with the hot fluid?

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Fuel line hose will work.