Short term repair for Trans cooler Lines?

[EricB]

I seem to be dripping some of the vital red juice from my trans cooler lines on my 94 540 (auto)
It is the line that attaches to the upper position of my radiator.

(1 - On the following diagram)
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HE23&mospid=47406&btnr=17_0085&hg=17&fg=05
It appears to be leaking at the bottom, towards the front, right near the PS pump (If I'm not mistaken) right at the point where it stops being rubber, and connects to some sort of press-fit metal bit.

My question is, can I crimp that closed and buy some time?
I'm not really crazy about replacing that hose right now.

I also don't want to turn my drip into a waterfall though.

What really burns me is that I was trying to troubleshoot why I am losing power steering (and of course LAD) fluid at an alarming rate. This poor car is so caked with oil, crud and grime it's tough to see whats what.

Suggestions?

[attack eagle]

do you have a hose fabricating place near you? they would have the tools to recrimp it, but I would suggest they could possibly replace the rubber in the line also.

[Kalevera]

I seem to be dripping some of the vital red juice from my trans cooler lines on my 94 540 (auto)
It is the line that attaches to the upper position of my radiator.

(1 - On the following diagram)
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HE23&mospid=47406&btnr=17_0085&hg=17&fg=05
It appears to be leaking at the bottom, towards the front, right near the PS pump (If I'm not mistaken) right at the point where it stops being rubber, and connects to some sort of press-fit metal bit.

Hmm....Do you have a 540 or a 530? 540s don't use the cooler setup shown in the picture.

If you have a 540, you're pretty much out of luck/have to replace the (coolant) lines -- these coolers rarely leak ATF.

If you have a 530, think about swapping in a generic trans cooler, or cut out the leaky part to the point where the line becomes metal, and use good quality OE power steering line and hose clamps to replace what's missing. You'll want to use a good small pipe cutter on the metal line. This procedure often works for longer than just a temporary fix.

[EricB]

Oops.. yes. 530i

Interesting suggestions.

In my mind, I was picturing lashing something around the flange of metal (like strong wire) and twisting it to synch it closer.

I don't really understand how that fitting is made though.. so I can't visualize the inside bits.

[ryan roopnarine]

the three strand hose (or whatever it specifically is) can't be held together with hose clamps or other means of "pressure", so tightening up the fitting won't do you any good. i had one of the cooler lines on my 525i develop a long, slender hole where it rests against the chassis. i used a pipecutter to cut the affected section out, and spliced the line together with bulk bmw 10mm ID (iirc) power steering hose. this held for about 2k miles, at which point the car was parked for a few days. upon starting the car, the hose slid off, and i was forced to replace the part with the line I had received from bma a few days prior.