Cooling line leak, please advise.

[Th1s_0ld_Truck]

I recently left the house in my 1999 Ranger XLT. After traveling the two blocks to the main street I realized I had major transmission slippage. I immediately turned toward home. While going very slowly the short distance down my residential street the truck seemed to lurch from side to side like a warped or out of round wheel. Looking underneath I discovered a leak in the cooling line that leads from the transmission to the radiator. Apparently most of the fluid had leaked out while parked in the driveway. Could a partially filled torque converter be responsible for the rocking back and forth? Something else? That kind of worried me. I had to order the parts as they were unavailable locally. So I have the filter, gasket, lines (3) and the fluid (10 qts).
I don't have a concrete driveway so if I do this I'll literally be on the ground. When I got under there it was such tight quarters at the side of the transmission that I was unable to get a wrench onto the nuts. It's been a few weeks because I was ill and also had to take a trip out of state but it seems like maybe part of the exhaust was really close. So do I need crows foot wrenches or flare wrenches or some other special tool? I'm the second owner but not knowing the maintenance history I've not touched the transmission. A choice I've come to regret.
Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

[mc17eln]

Torque converter and its fluid are self contained and spinning with the crankshaft, so you can't get a line in and out of it

What you lost was transmission fluid. Factory and dealer fills that fluid via the cooling line return. You can fill it from the dip stick tube -- very very slowly. You obviously need to fix the leak first -- check all the end points of the two lines to and from the cooler built into the radiator. My bet is the leak is in the radiator. Short of a violent impact, hard lines to and from the transmission shouldn't leak all of a sudden.

 

[DILLARD000]

On my 2001, several years ago found the TransCooler line slowly leaking ATF
at factory clamps where the hose is clamped to hard tubing under the radiator.
Replaced with new hose & double worm clamps, then topped off ATF level.

 

[Curious Hound]

Torque converter and its fluid are self contained and spinning with the crankshaft, so you can't get a line in and out of it

The torque converter is filled with transmission fluid. It is filled and circulated by a pump in the transmission. This is where a lot of the heat is generated that makes it necessary to have one or more transmission coolers.

Not much of the volume of transmission fluid actually comes out when you remove the bottom cover. Try to catch what comes out and measure it. That will give you an idea of how much to put back in. Even with replacing the hoses to the cooler and draining it, I would be surprised if it takes the full 10 quarts to fill it up afterwards.

 

[Th1s_0ld_Truck]

Sorry I abandoned this thread, but the weather turned and without a concrete driveway or garage I had to wait until spring. Yes, I've essentially been without a vehicle since I began this thread. I'm a senior on a limited income and could not afford to first, have the truck towed, and then repaired. Besides, I enjoy working on things, I already had the parts, and most places won't do the work without supplying the parts as well. It's beginning to warm up, I have the truck on jack stands, and I'm ready to begin the repairs. There is very little space between the catalytic convertor and the transmission, and I couldn't get the flare wrenches in there. I'm hoping that this will be resolved once the pan and the fill tube are removed. For those of you with the knowledge, I would appreciate your tips and suggestions. Thanks.

 

[Ranger850]

@Th1s_0ld_Truck Could you unbolt the exhaust at the manifold and move it to make room? Spray penetrating oil on the bolts for a few days, if you have the time, let it soak to make removal easier. Then let the pipe hang down out of the way, or use a strap to hold it out of the way. Just spitballin' ideas.

 

[Th1s_0ld_Truck]

@Th1s_0ld_Truck Could you unbolt the exhaust at the manifold and move it to make room? Spray penetrating oil on the bolts for a few days, if you have the time, let it soak to make removal easier. Then let the pipe hang down out of the way, or use a strap to hold it out of the way. Just spitballin' ideas.

This truck is over twenty years old with the original exhaust and I have only hand tools, so I don't know about that. I have to remove the pan to change the filter and drain the remaining fluid anyway so I was hoping that doing so would create enough space to get the wrenches in there. I have WD-40 so I guess it couldn't hurt to lube it up just in case. Thanks.

 

[Th1s_0ld_Truck]

Giving consideration to your idea I've come to the conclusion that you are on the right track. I've been focused on getting around the problem (the catalytic converter in the way). It seems these trucks must have been assembled with the transmission lines connected up prior to the exhaust system going on. I'm not a mechanic but I just don't see another solution other removing the exhaust, replace the cooler lines and then installing all new exhaust. It's the stock exhaust anyway, so I suppose it's due. I just hadn't anticipated the additional expense of $300-$400. I also found a complete stainless-steel brake line kit for little more than $100 so since one line has rusted through, I guess I'll replace the brake lines as well. I noticed the power steering hoses are looking like they need replacing too. I'm not sure I want to do all of this myself. It might be time to have it towed to a mechanic. The wife thinks the truck is too old to put more money into, but it only has 152,000 miles on it. All I've done is replace the brakes a few times, shocks, and front suspension. After this it should be good for another 150,000. Thanks for your input.

 

[19Walt93]

If you live in road salt country like I do, a line could absolutely be rusted through. If you find that one is and needs to be replaced anyway, you can cut the line close to the fitting and use a socket to take it off. Use side cutters or a tubing cutter, not a hack saw. Metal particles in a transmission are bad news. A fitting wrench is recommended when you reinstall it, though. It would stink to round off the new fitting using an open end wrench.