Ok well I almost lost my truck tonight, and god do I feel like a ******* idiot.

I had tried to bypass my radiator and just run it through my 30k and stock transmission coolers.

Well I was driving around and didn't think anything of it and about 30 minutes into driving my truck starts smoking horribly. I pull off as quick as I can and pop the hood and there is transmission fluid on fire.



Thank god I always carry my fire extinguisher with me or it could have been much worse.

So basically here is my question. How do you bypass the transmission lines? Please explain like you would a child because apparently I shouldn't be touching my truck.

I just disconnecting both lines from the radiator and connected them with a length of hydraulic hose and clamped each end down. Obviously I did something wrong so please advise.

Thanks fellas and feel free to point and laugh.

 

holy ****! that sucks ***! i have used simple hose and clamps plenty of times without problems. should be as simple as remove the lines from the radiator and couple together, to bypass the radiator. did the hose just pop off of the tubing? i would cut off the ends and save for if you ever wanted to put it back and use a stainless nut and ferule tube coupler. was the trans fluid that hot, or did it just get on the exhaust and that started the fire?

 

ok here is the correct way to do this. Go get you a tubing cutter and a double flaring tool. Cut the ends of the tube and then flare the ends. Get some rubber tranny hose and slide it over the flared ends and clamp them. You may not be able to connect them back to the radiator but you get a truck that isnt burnt down. Good luck and sorry for your bad luck.

 

The transmission fluid got on the header which proceeded to start a fire.

The hose I used was still tight as can be on BOTH lines and the line didn't have any holes in it. There was way way too much fluid that came out for it to have been from the new hose leaking.

This is why I'm at a loss fellas.

 

it leaked past the clamps?

anyway screw the flaring tool, and trying to slide the hose after it, now thats ghetto...
these are what i used they are 3/8 stainless nut and ferule tubing couplers, they are a compression fitting.



broken down, notice the tapered end of the ferule (the piece in the middle) it fits in the body, which is also tapered.


this is how the ferule sits in the body of the coupler


with the unit together down hole


heres what you do with it
1.cut the stock lines with a tubing cutter for a nice and straight cut with no burrs.
2.slide the coupler over the end of the tubing until it bottoms out
3.tighten the nut onto the body, the nut will force the tapered ferule into the taper of the body and it will clamp down evenly on the tubing, once tightened it can't be removed it is very secure.

you can unthread the coupler for service reasons any time, the ferule will be clamped on the tubing for good though.

if you ever wanted to switch back just get 2 more couplings and clamp them down on the pieces you cut off (the pieces with the ends that fit into the radiator). all you would have to do is unthread the lines from being bypassed and thread the nut and ferule into the body of the coupler attatched to the stock pieces for the radiator fittings.

i work in the oilfield and got a handfull of these free, and used them when i installed my trucool 40k

 

Wow thanks for taking the time to write that up man. I appreciate it.

 

ya with me now man?

 

So many of us have had the lines come loose, i think it's a right of passage....welcome!

 

could it have shot out of the dipstick tube?

 

Anything is possible. I'll check tomorrow. Didn't even thing to look