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What I thought was a leaking power steering hose has turned out to be a leaking transmission cooler line hose.
After installing my 4 core aluminum radiator, the mechanic I was using must have put a hose on instead of a steel line.
Would some of you mind taking a look at the pics below (they are in sequence, from the cooler to where the lines run along the frame rail) and give me a second opinion?
If it is the hose that's not how it should be from the factory, will I need to make a new line (I've tried making double flared fuel lines for my 5.7 Mercruiser and failed after many attempts) or is there a part that I can order that will work for the application?
I looked at the great blow-apart diagrams on garysgaragemahal.com but the coolers in those diagrams do not look like what I have.... and I didn't look at the connectors before the radiator was taken out.
The hoses look, on phone so its hard to see, to be going to an aftermarket cooler in front of the radiator.
If so that is how some get hooked up. Others use fittings so if you wanted to you could bend metal lines in place of hoses.
Try and tighten the clamps to see if that stops the drip.
Is that the only cooler or you also using the one in the radiator?
Dave - - - -
I had leaking lines on my new truck too. The previous owner forced the hose over the flare on the steel line, and it wasn't sealing right. I replaced the hose and cut the flare off, hasn't leaked since.
Use the "fuel injection" type clamps instead of the typical worm drive ones as I see in the pics. Also looks like the flare is bulging under the hose. Don't trust worm drive clamps on smooth, non-barbed line or fittings. Also judging by amount of rust on line, I'd be using Stainless clamps. Stainless F.I. style and cut the flare off.
Now that I am on a PC it looks like the radiator did not have a cooler in it like the factory one and why the aftermarket one was installed.
I hope he has this fixed as it has been years since this was posted.
Dave -----
Hard to tell where it is leaking exactly. That hard line is also vibrating against the lower rad hose.
I don’t know how rusty that line is under the hose, but difficult to get a good seal if it’s rusty there and weeping past the flare. The rest of line looks too rusty to get a good seal, imo. I’ve had to use multiple clamps in the past to seal up old leaking cooler lines.
If it were me, I’d run new lines forward and route them to fit the new configuration. Stand them off from each other as well, you can split a cheap rubber hose for anti chafe and run it down where the lines run together, or use short pieces of hose and zip ties for stand offs. Zip ties to hold it all together so the lines can’t vibrate against each other and wear through.
The new NiCopp lines work well for that, easily bent/shaped by hand. And as above, fuel injection clamps work much better than the old gear style. As well, trans/hyd fluid hose, it will stand up better than a regular rubber hose. Any auto parts store should stock it.
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