Bypassed radiator trans cooler - now leaks

[Liquid_force]

I don't get this.
A common theme with my car lately.

I bypassed the radiator trans cooler while I had the trans out.
It seemed so simple. There's a line out of the trans into the rad, and out to the tube cooler, back to the trans.

So I ran a new trans fluid hose from the trans across to the tube cooler, out the tube to the little aux cooler I added, and from there back to the trans.
Simple, so it seemed.

During the process I cut off some of the unused stock hose and pulled out a steel line or two that wouldn't be used anymore. I WANTED to remove the old fittings and plug them, but I wasn't able to remove the input fitting and never found the actual outlet fitting, just a hose coming from that area.

The problem is i now have a leak that appears to be coming from where the lines USED to enter/exit the radiator (ds top), but are now completely unused.

I thought it was just some residual fluid coming out the bypassed cooler. But after it continued for several days I realized that couldn't be the problem. And today I was down 1/2 qt or so.
There's trans fluid trickling out the freaking recess where the blinker is.

I used to think I was decent home mechanic. Lately this car has me thinking I should be paying for oil changes.

What the **** did I do wrong?

 

[jmpSHO2nd]

Why did you bypass the radiator? If anything you should add a Gen 2 cooler to your car not take away from the only thing that somewhat cools the trans fluid.

 

[jmpSHO2nd]

Sorry I reread your post and saw that you added a cooler but I would still keep the radiator hooked up.

 

[Liquid_force]

It has been suggested to me by several different sources that the radiator "cooler" does as much to heat the fluid as it does to cool it.
Since heat is the biggest enemy in terms of transmission longevity I chose to bypass it.
Not that it matters. I'm just trying to fix a leak.

 

[BamSHO]

There might be some residual fluid in the rad. Give it a couple days of driving, mine leaked out some too.


Brian Michael
98 black Gen3

 

[Liquid_force]

There might be some residual fluid in the rad. Give it a couple days of driving, mine leaked out some too.


Brian Michael
98 black Gen3

I'm holding out hope that it's that simple, but the quantity of fluid just seems too much. I have put 400-500 miles on it. Everything from the headlight/blinker area back to the lca and inside of the tire is wet with fluid.

Fluid level was slightly out of the crosshatch area on the dipstick when I checked it yesterday, but the transmission was cold.

 

[whiteguy3]

Sorry I reread your post and saw that you added a cooler but I would still keep the radiator hooked up.

I am one who firmly supports re-routing and bypassing the radiator. I had a good post about it some time ago. I recommend every SHO should bypass the radiator and run either a custom cooler or the stock GEN 2 cooler depending on your driving habits and your whereabouts.

The key which makes it easy is picking up 2 LAN fittings from your local autozone, advance AP or home depot and unscrewing with an open ended wrench your stock metal lines from the trans. From there you can run transmission cooler line to and from the cooler...That's it. No radiator or metal lines are involved.

I have personally done this mod on over 6 ATX SHO's. The last one I did around here we did a before and after trans temperature check. We did a before and after the mod test temperature where we drove the same distance around my area on a day that was roughly 80 degrees. Sure enough we noticed a 40 degree decrease from before to after!!!

Don't need a whole lot more proof than that.

 

[Liquid_force]

I am one who firmly supports re-routing and bypassing the radiator.

The key which makes it easy is picking up 2 LAN fittings from your local autozone, advance AP or home depot and unscrewing with an open ended wrench your stock metal lines from the trans. From there you can run transmission cooler line to and from the cooler...That's it. No radiator or metal lines are involved.

I'm not sure what you mean by LAN fittings. I used what I call barbed fittings which are brass.

I did just as you said except I tried to remove the unused lines running from the transmission to the radiator, and the short one out from there to the tube cooler.
I was unable to remove the trans line fitting going into the radiator, so I just removed the rubber portion that had gone from the end of the steel line up to the trans (a foot or so). Then I zip tied the steel line in place.
For the radiator outlet to the stock tube cooler I just pulled it off the cooler and let it hang.

I'm just going to have to get it good and warm then remove the bumper cover and lwr air dam so I can try to see exactly where I'm losing fluid.

MAYBE it's just something like a cut line, but I will have to take it apart and get it warm in order to see it.

 

[BamSHO]

I cut the hard line that feeds the rad part of cool. Slip on the rubber hose from the cooler kit, then run to aftermarker cooler, then out from that to the Ford cooler. I used hose clamps for everything, no issues.


Brian Michael
98 black Gen 3

 

[whiteguy3]

Forgive me, barbed fittings is what I meant. Yes.

 

[SHOZ123]

Aren't the quick connect trans line fittings a NPT thread into the tank? You could put brass pipe plugs in them.

 

[Liquid_force]

That's what I was planning to do originally.
That was until I was unable to remove the steel line going in (I have spring fitting tools, I just couldn't get it to release). So I decided I'd make due.

It's not just the residual fluid anyway. I've had to add about a qt now having driven it less than 1000 mi.
I'm going to look closer today. I'm hoping there's just a slow leak in the hose.

 

[SHOZ123]

Well if the cooler tube is ate away internally the rest of the radiator is probably corroded too. Unless you over molested the fittings trying to get the tubes out.