Archived Break down- Transmission cooler line at cooler?

[Newf Limo]

Hey folks,



I haven't driven my 2001 6 speed ram but about 400 miles this winter. Yesterday, I drove across town (3 miles) and in my friends driveway (which the call a door yard here, ) I heard a pretty loud pop and the sound of steam wooshing out. I immediately though I blew a radiator hose.



I popped the hood and took a look, and there was no blown hoses, no pools of coolant on the ground or a soaked engine compartment, none of the usual stuff. Then, as I was closing the hood, I saw a small pool of coolant on the bumper (passenger side) and noticed the metal line that connects to (I assume) the transmission cooler in front of the radiator and A/C condenser, had blown apart right at the flange where the cooler and the hard line connects. It is the upper one if I recall.



So, is there an easy bypass that will get me back on the road, as I do no towing. Easy as in, I was just diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disk yesterday, since my chiropractor was who I was going to see after picking something up at my friends house.



The next question is, what the sam hill is this all about? How can it deveolp that much pressure, and how do I trouble shoot and repair it?



Thanks for any help!

 

[cerberusiam]

Did it blow the flange off the cooler itself or just the hard line where it conencts? If you are just putting around town you do not need the front cooler. You can just tie the two cooler lines together and bypass the cooler temporarily.

 

[Newf Limo]

The flange where the hard lines connect together. About 6 inches or so away from the cooler. There is a metal clip it looks like, and then the flanged hard lines. Not sure how to do a by pass there without cutting the flanges off the hard lines. I'm sure that will make things more expensive. I wonder how it built up that much pressure to begin with?!? I'll drive over there in a little while and take another look at things.

Thanks

 

[Newf Limo]

The flange where the hard lines connect together. About 6 inches or so away from the cooler. There is a metal clip it looks like, and then the flanged hard lines. Not sure how to do a by pass there without cutting the flanges off the hard lines. I'm sure that will make things more expensive. I wonder how it built up that much pressure to begin with?!? I'll drive over there in a little while and take another look at things.



Thanks

 

[mwilson]

You say that it is coolant rather than transmission fluid, right?? Can you shoot a picture and post it??



I have never had a 2001 in the stable so I would like to see what failed.



Mike.

 

[mwilson]

transmission Cooler set-up for 2001, no coolant out front that I know of. Coolant does run through the heat exchanger back on the rh side of the engine.



Are you sure that your A/C condenser line didn't blow and what you are seeing is green dye and R-134a puddles???



transmission Cooler... .

A/C Condensor.....

Just a thought...



Mike.

 

[Newf Limo]

Funny. I just had almost all of my AC replaced last September. Then it ended up leaking and they had to put a dye in it to find the leak. IT was the evaporator(?). The part under the dash that cost 6 hours of labor to replace.

I actually called that guy because that was the first thing I thought of, but when he said, "Green Fluid, that is your transmission cooler. ", I just went with that. Now that you mention the dye, it is all making sense.

Ok, so is that an oil cooler sandwiched between the condenser and the radiator?

I already have $2500 tied up in this damn AC! Frustrating. So, if that is it, it sounds like a warrantee issue, and a AAA ride to the service center! I didn'trun my AC that I know of though, so I wonder why it would have developed all of that pressure? How can I make it drivable, without incurring expense from voiding my warranty?

Thanks guys. I also just noticed we are all old phartz on the TDR as far as join dates. Over 30 years between us! Cool!

 

[cerberusiam]

The trans cooler will have read fluid in it, no coolant. If you are seeing coolant then it is a radiator hose or the AC condenser.

There are 4 "coolers" there. From front to back should be AC, CAC, trans, and radiator.

 

[mwilson]

R-134A with dye in it does leave green puddles, a mixure of oil and dye. I went through this with my local dealer 2 winters ago.



My wife took pictures of the puddles of green in the snow to show them, on top of that the van had RED coolant in it. They still would not believe me. Sure enough that next spring no A/C. Hose to the compressor had blown.

They covered it after I went down and said "Do you frigin' believe me now???"



Stick your finger in the green puddle and give it a sniff, it won't smell like antifreeze if I am on the right track.



Nothin' beats a Scratch and Sniff test.....





Mike.

 

[Newf Limo]

Just went to have another look, with fresher eyes.



It is the AC. So, the question is, the AC was not selected, so why did it build so much pressure?



Even if it was selected, why did it build so much pressure? The compressor is new, the thinghy on the firewall is new (as you can see, I am not an AC man) and the evaporator is new. I was pretty sure that I was told that the condenser was replaced, is that not the thing in the photo on the front of the radiator, that obviously is not new?



So, can I drive this to the shop without causing more damage?



If the compressor is running continuously, could that create an issue, especially if the selector is not in the AC positions? (i. e AC or Defrost)



If the compressor is running constantly, and that could create more damage driving it (sucking in debris or something), is there an easy way to disable the compressor? Can you unplug it easily enough?



Thanks again!

 

[Sticks]

It looks like the clip to hold the line in was not properly seated. Pull the clip off, push the hose back in, put the clip back on.



It is possibile that your compressor pulley is seized and keeping it constantly engaged, or the circuit that controls the magnet inside the pulley is shorted to B+. Start the engine and see if the outer face of the AC compressor pulley is turning with the engine. If you can get to the connection, disconnect the plug from the wire that runs to the AC compressor pulley.



FWIW - the AC system is under a constant pressure of 75psi (or something like that) when off, then upwards of 200psi when running.



Damage done, drive the truck until you can get back to whoever did the AC repairs in the first place and see what they will do about warranty.

 

[Newf Limo]

Thanks Sticks. I'll do that.

Dennis

 

[bigblock_doc]

Looks like they missed putting the clip on. The clip goes over both parts of the line. Upper and lower.
Its just on the top. Push it back together or tape the open ends to keep dirt and junk from getting in.
Leave the AC controls on off, take it back. Should be warranty. Good luck.

 

[HHhuntitall]

With no pressure in the system, the compressor will not engage, due to the low pressure sensor. On the Dodges, if you select defrost or any position other than vent, to the right of the one selected in your photo, the compressor engages to reduce moisture in the passenger compartment. Stupid, to me, but I'm not an engineer... ...



IMO, it looks like a warranty issue. An experienced AC tech should be able to quickly recognize the situation for what it is, and there should be no question it wasn't connected correctly, and it seperated. Perhaps there could be a bad end on the connector, or the spring went bad in the quick dissconect.....

 

[cerberusiam]

Stupid, to me, but I'm not an engineer... ...

That is cuz you live where COLD is concept not a condition. :-laf



Ah, the good old days when AC was an option and a heater was barely adequate for when a cloud covered the sun. Nothing like 3 people in the cab of a truck rolling down the road and needing wipers on the INSIDE of the windshield cuz' the temp was a balmy 33 degrees inside the cab.

 

[Sticks]

With no pressure in the system, the compressor will not engage, due to the low pressure sensor. On the Dodges, if you select defrost or any position other than vent, to the right of the one selected in your photo, the compressor engages to reduce moisture in the passenger compartment. Stupid, to me, but I'm not an engineer.....

It actually makes sense. Any air being run through the HVAC runs through the AC evaporator first where any moisture in the air freezes to the evaporator - ergo dry air then passing through the heater core. When the AC cycles on and off, the frost on the evaporator melts off and drains out.

 

[S.Morris]

Looks like everyone missed the fact that it is a 6spd manual not an auto?

 

[Sticks]

Good catch, but academic after we saw the pictures he posted and the description.

 

[HHhuntitall]

That is cuz you live where COLD is concept not a condition. :-laf



Ah, the good old days when AC was an option and a heater was barely adequate for when a cloud covered the sun. Nothing like 3 people in the cab of a truck rolling down the road and needing wipers on the INSIDE of the windshield cuz' the temp was a balmy 33 degrees inside the cab.

:-laf No, no, no, I meant that it's not user selectable... . All this technology... ... we can connect wireless to the moon in . 003 seconds with our I-phone, by we're too stupid to turn on our A/C compressor if we need it..... we can't select weither or not we want to wear out our A/C compressor, and help our fuel mileage. That's one of the things I miss the most about the '97 dash. It still turned on the compressor in defrost, but running down the highway, I could turn the compressor off with a simple switch of the blower motor position..... I had the original compressor on my '96 at 285k miles, and on the '97 and 289k miles..... Around here, the good ones usually only last 80-120k on cars and trucks that run all the time. Being able to select the compressor cycle on helps the longetivity, and I love that, as I don't have to work on it!!!



Hey, yesterday it was 89*F here, and this morning it's 44* and falling..... Welcome to Texas. If you don't like the weather, hang around a day or two.....

 

[Sticks]

:-laf No, no, no, I meant that it's not user selectable... . All this technology... ... we can connect wireless to the moon in . 003 seconds with our I-phone, by we're too stupid to turn on our A/C compressor if we need it..... we can't select weither or not we want to wear out our A/C compressor, and help our fuel mileage. That's one of the things I miss the most about the '97 dash. It still turned on the compressor in defrost, but running down the highway, I could turn the compressor off with a simple switch of the blower motor position..... I had the original compressor on my '96 at 285k miles, and on the '97 and 289k miles..... Around here, the good ones usually only last 80-120k on cars and trucks that run all the time. Being able to select the compressor cycle on helps the longetivity, and I love that, as I don't have to work on it!!!

Quit griping. My wife's 96 Cadillac Brougham does not even give you the option of which vent to use, let alone vent, heat, or A/C. All you get to do is tell it what temperature you want in the cab and it does what it wants to. Feet are freezing, bummer, 90% of the heat goes out the defrost vent (I've checked it out, no malfunction). Middle of the summer and 120* in the cab, all the AC goes to the floor and freezes your feet.

Hey, yesterday it was 89*F here, and this morning it's 44* and falling..... Welcome to Texas. If you don't like the weather, hang around a day or two.....

That's a Colorado line, and it should read, "wait 5 minuets". Tuesday near 70*, Wednesday 8" of snow and 29*, Thursday 50*, today back to 60*.