heat exchanger lines rotten

[KMUNCASTER]

My transmission cooler/heat exchanger lines going to and from the transmission are rotten, and the exchanger itself is getting pretty punky looking... . lines are leaking now and I'm gonna have to bypass them temporarily. Anyone know if new ones are still avail ? Or the exchanger ? Has anyone removed it entirely ?



I have added a large cooler in front of the rad, and would like one of those under bed coolers maybe... . I tow a fair bit, nothing outrageous, but I have a 20x8. 5 enclosed car hauler, and pull boats for my business... .



I sure love my old truck, but little things make you crazy. . . . just when you think you're all set, something else comes up.



Looking for tales of similar repairs, and all the guidance you can give fellas... .



once again, many thanks in advance...



Kev

 

[Stanbery]

As of late last summer the lines were still available as I got some new ones for my '92 from the local Dodge dealership. I was wondering myself if anyone else removed theirs and went with an aftermarket type.

 

[Greenleaf]

Yes. They can be removed easily. I will do just that in April. I have a Dodge OEM bed mount cooler to install.



If you drive a good bit in sub zero, then you may need it though.



You will have to replace the coolant fitting under the alt with a 90° , the other with a 1/2 " pipe plug and tie the line in/out of the trans together with brass/copper fittings. Don't skimp on that or they will come loose and you'll hoof it.

 

[DBF]

In cold weather, the heat exchanger serves to warm up the transmission fluid as the engine warms up.
In Florida this is not needed, so I removed the heat exchanger and isolated the two systems - engine coolant and transmission fluid.
I added sufficient trans cooling to handle the heat down here and re-cored the radiator to improve engine cooling.

Regards, DBF