Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Fittings to repair O/E trans cooler lines.
I have seen several posts, some of which are in the latest magazine (issue 47), and one personal message, about problems with the cooler lines and the Mickeymouse connectors that were OE on several years of our trucks.
I did mine with flare fittings, but it is a chore at best. To make the connection on the two transmission connections, I had to drill the fittings so they would slide back around the bend in the line, far enough to get the flare tool on the line. I did all the connections with invert type flares, but used conventional flare nuts. I also had to cut the back side of the nuts off a little to make the turn. It was a learning experience but it came out very good.
That job is done and works, but I remembered a fitting that is used in industrial equipment to make highpressure connections with steel tubing. The company I worked for at the time used thousands of them, and leaks were rare, (leaks after delivery of the equipment were almost nonexistant). They are a self-flaring type of fitting in which the ferrel is made of hardened steel, and as you tighten the nut, the ferrel graps the tube and forces it on to the cone in the fitting body causing the tube to flare below the ferrel. It can be removed hundreds of times and still seal. And some of these applications were operating with several hundred # of hydraulic pressure.
To install them on our trucks would require only the removal of the OE fittingand the instalation of the new fitting bodies then cutting the ends off the lines then deburr the ends and install the ferrels and nuts on the tube and push them solidly into the fitting body and tightern the nut, then back it off to check that it flared properly, then reassemble.
The only question would be if they are made in the 1/2" tube X 1/8" NPT for the transmission end. If not, it would not be hard to use an adaptor to mate a fitting to the transmission. The cost saving over new lines and the integrity of the job would make it worth the hassel of finding the fittings and if needed the adaptors.
The fittings are "FLODAR SELF FLARING TUBING FITTINGS". You can see them online at www.flodar.com click on the self-flaring fittings label. Their phone# is 1-920-682-6877. They don't give a distributer list, but if you call some industrial tubing suppliers in your area, you should be able to find them. If not call Flodar at the above #.
If I had known then what I know now, I would have done just what I am proposing here for others when I did mine. If you have any questions for me, just post me, email me, or use the land line. (My contact information is in my profile)
Hope this adds another viable option to our options pile.
I have seen several posts, some of which are in the latest magazine (issue 47), and one personal message, about problems with the cooler lines and the Mickeymouse connectors that were OE on several years of our trucks.
I did mine with flare fittings, but it is a chore at best. To make the connection on the two transmission connections, I had to drill the fittings so they would slide back around the bend in the line, far enough to get the flare tool on the line. I did all the connections with invert type flares, but used conventional flare nuts. I also had to cut the back side of the nuts off a little to make the turn. It was a learning experience but it came out very good.
That job is done and works, but I remembered a fitting that is used in industrial equipment to make highpressure connections with steel tubing. The company I worked for at the time used thousands of them, and leaks were rare, (leaks after delivery of the equipment were almost nonexistant). They are a self-flaring type of fitting in which the ferrel is made of hardened steel, and as you tighten the nut, the ferrel graps the tube and forces it on to the cone in the fitting body causing the tube to flare below the ferrel. It can be removed hundreds of times and still seal. And some of these applications were operating with several hundred # of hydraulic pressure.
To install them on our trucks would require only the removal of the OE fittingand the instalation of the new fitting bodies then cutting the ends off the lines then deburr the ends and install the ferrels and nuts on the tube and push them solidly into the fitting body and tightern the nut, then back it off to check that it flared properly, then reassemble.
The only question would be if they are made in the 1/2" tube X 1/8" NPT for the transmission end. If not, it would not be hard to use an adaptor to mate a fitting to the transmission. The cost saving over new lines and the integrity of the job would make it worth the hassel of finding the fittings and if needed the adaptors.
The fittings are "FLODAR SELF FLARING TUBING FITTINGS". You can see them online at www.flodar.com click on the self-flaring fittings label. Their phone# is 1-920-682-6877. They don't give a distributer list, but if you call some industrial tubing suppliers in your area, you should be able to find them. If not call Flodar at the above #.
If I had known then what I know now, I would have done just what I am proposing here for others when I did mine. If you have any questions for me, just post me, email me, or use the land line. (My contact information is in my profile)
Hope this adds another viable option to our options pile.
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