HELP! leaking trans cooler line.....

[ryan roopnarine]

at least that's what i've narrowed it down to.
car is 1992 525i, 4l30e/a4s310r autotrans

as i was rounding a turn last night, i hit the gas with a little vigor, and heard/felt my trans slip. i thought that i might have hit a puddle, or tapped the shift handle accidentally, so i thought i'd just check the level in the morning. seeing it was low, i refilled it with the emergency portion i keep in the trunk. backing out of the space, i saw a significant puddle of ATF near the front of the car, and concluded that my power steering was leaking......long story short (slipping on inclines).....i'm leaking from a cooler line. i haven't gotten a chance to look at it in the daylight, but it would appear to be dripping from rubber, as opposed to the metal lines. is there any way that i could DIY the rubber hose replacement, or would i have to take it to a hydraulic hose repair facility to get it taken care of. i really need to take care of it asap, as i have no other transport (and i don't really have time to send away to bma, autohauz, bret, et al for a replacement). again, i haven't seen the hose in the daylight--but i'm not trying to get others to do my legwork for me. anyone know off the top of their head if an e36 line, or an e34 530 line, or anything at all can interchange with it? can i homebrew a new assembly from parts from autozone, advance auto, napa? thanks. i have no etk here (except for the realoem one) and its kinda rough, as bentley doesn't even have pictures of the lines in it. thanks so much.

[632 Regal]

if its slipping and/or slamming gears you will ruin the trans in no time! Get a rental if you have to, much cheaper than a new trans.

sorry im useless as to what other parts will work. Maybe its leaking at the clamp and all you need to do is put a new clamp on.

Good luck!

[ryan roopnarine]

for the time being, i've severely overfilled it, and just watch the rpms after letting it sit for a while (to make sure that it "engages" before i shift into drive), avoid the jackrabbit starts, and it hasn't slipped since. still, i estimate about 5-6 trips before i can get resolved (even if it is just driving to the dealer). i change fluid in it every 3000-6000 miles (at oil changes) and know how it normally behaves. i don't think im going to grenade it quite yet.

[632 Regal]

well... i forgot who I was talking to LOL. I know you read your cars.

[GoldenOne]

if im not mistaken ryan you were in the gainesville area....if this is fix you cant do, i have a indy off main street that works on german cars only and does an awesome job...lemme know if you need his info...

[ryan roopnarine]

--thx for the offer, but i generally fare OK as far as light repairs are concerned. i don't even know your name, and i don't want to call you golden....


update....
i got under the car to determine where the leak was coming from. its not coming from neither the crimp or the hose. its coming from the metal line where it "rests" against the motor mount. frankly, i've been pissed this week, and probably rolled up against parking spot "bumps" one time too many. the line crosses the piece where the motor mount sits, so by hitting the "bumps" too hard, it presses the line up against the sheetmetal edge, causing the pinhole leak i now have. so while i may not have the mechanical aptitude of your typical 16 year old girl, i have the angst of one. i'm trying to figure out now if i should use jb weld or epoxy to fix it temporarily, as if i try to cut a section out by hacksaw, i'll probably kick metal shavings back into the line, and then i'll be in an entirely different world of hurt. thanks.

[winfred]

use a tubing cutter to avoid the sawdust in the lines, use about a 4" piece of power steering line and two clamps on each side of the cut for safety

[ryan roopnarine]

thanks winfred, i guess when one is in a spot, they don't think of the obvious solution (tube cutter). aside from going into work at 10 am (wasn't supposedto be there until 5 or so), i went to advance and purchased a piece of transmission cooler hose, not realising that 5/16 ID is nowhere large enough to be used in that application. i guess i'll call around to carquest and autozone and such and see if anyone has anything larger (or any PS fluid hose, those would have to be bigger than this).

[ryan roopnarine]

i guess PS or tranny cooling lines over 5/16 or under 5/8 don't exist here on the planet earth. discount, autozone, carquest don't have anything other these sizes.

[632 Regal]

Ryan try to find a place that makes hydraulid lines, they usually have an assortment of sizes and dodads. the natiobnal parts places are usually limited to high sales items only.

i guess PS or tranny cooling lines over 5/16 or under 5/8 don't exist here on the planet earth. discount, autozone, carquest don't have anything other these sizes.