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Help! Pressure fitting on transmission cooler lines

NotMatt

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Wenatchee, WA
Hi all, I've got a problem in my brother's comanche. It's an 88 that's had a 92 HO motor and all the underhood stuff swapped in, so essentially think 92 cherokee, I guess.

Anyway, it has a factory external transmission cooler in addition to the one internal to the radiator. The external is in front of the radiator, and the whole setup is plumbed so that the tranny fluid comes from the tranny, into the external, out the external, into the radiator, then out the radiator and back into the tranny.

The problem is, the "high pressure" fitting on the line coming from the tranny into the external cooler is leaking fluid all over the place. After driving a few miles around town today I looked underneath and the axle and everything on that side underneath was coated in ATF.

I have the correct little white plastic tools that you're supposed to shove into the fitting on the hard line side to take them apart, but I cannot get the fitting to come apart for the life of me. Does anyone have any experience with this type of fitting? It's also the same type that's used on the high pressure side of the fuel rail if I recall correctly. How the heck do I get this thing apart, and what do I do with it to stop it from leaking once I get it apart? Is there a seal in there that can be replaced?

OR... can I just cut the fitting out and replace with a hose clamp? Does the tranny fluid really have that much pressure that it needs one of these fittings?

Any help would really be appreciated, I'm trying to get this thing fixed tonight so my bro can drive it tomorrow.
 
Nevermind, I'm a dork. I was using those little plastic things that you shove into the ends of high pressure fittings, when all I needed to do was squeeze the two little plastic tabs sticking out of the end, not spread them apart.

Guess I fixed the leak, took it apart and one of the o-rings was all out of whack in there, put everything back together and no more leaks.
 
NotMatt said:
Nevermind, I'm a dork. I was using those little plastic things that you shove into the ends of high pressure fittings, when all I needed to do was squeeze the two little plastic tabs sticking out of the end, not spread them apart.

Guess I fixed the leak, took it apart and one of the o-rings was all out of whack in there, put everything back together and no more leaks.

Yep, there are 2 types of connections. The older ones use external plastic tabs, which don't require a tool. You're screwed if a tab breaks, though, which is why I imagine they went to the newer internal metal tabs, which require the tool
 
fizassist said:
Yep, there are 2 types of connections. The older ones use external plastic tabs, which don't require a tool. You're screwed if a tab breaks, though, which is why I imagine they went to the newer internal metal tabs, which require the tool

Since I'm a couple weeks away from fitting one to my '01, can anyone tell me if they used a similar arrangement on the newer coolers? I'd hate to get halfway through doing it, need to back out the change, and find I don't have the appropriate tool for doing so.
 
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