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Transmission fluid leak at radiator

Car: 88 Crown Vic.

I put in a new radiator because the old one began leaking. After installing the new radiator, I realized that the top metal line that I attached to the new radiator had started to leak fluid from the back of the fitting rather profusely, back onto the fluid line and down onto the radiator lower hose and splatteing on the engine, where it burned and smelled fantastic.

I backed it off of the radiator a bit and it leaked less, but didn't stop. I can't seem to stop it leaking. I can replace an alternater or starter, but I've never dealt with metal fluid lines before now. What do I do to make the $*&#!@ thing stop leaking my precious fluid? Do I have to get new lines or is there a better way? Someone was talking to me about cutting them down or something, but I'm not doing jack until I know the *right* way to fix the problem.

Thanks in advance. ~Jody

Reply to
Jody Lee Bruchon
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First thing to do is look for a crack at the fitting mating surfaces.

- unless you used teflon tape on the threads, which is unneccessary BTW, I'm thinking crack.

If the line-side fitting is at fault, you have a couple choices:

Install a whole new line

Cut the line a few inches away and fix a new end, splice with fuel line.

Use a neoprene washer or O-ring at the mating surface

- This line operates at relatively low pressure.

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

hmmm 88? Didn't those old Fords have fittings with o-rings on them? I remember on those type of fittings it was best to replace them whenever they were removed. (or they would leak) The type I'm thinking of looked rather large, kinda like a large long nut. much larger than the normal flare nut.

Reply to
ShoeSalesman

These fittings look like giant nuts with a short threaded part on the end that goes into the metal sockets on the side of the radiator. The leak is coming out of the back of the "nuts" and going down the metal lines. It is the same basic thing as all of the brake line fittings going into the master cylinder. How in the heck do I replace these things? They seem to be attached to the end of the metal tubing somehow.

Reply to
Jody Lee Bruchon

Those are the ones....Its been sooo long I can't remember how to remove them. Buy the new ones and look in the end. I bet they come off kinda like a some Ford fuel filters. A little plastic clip inside. If its like I am guessing you need a fuel filter removal tool(cheap). some look like this:

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some look like this:
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second one is a kit with different sizes.

Reply to
ShoeSalesman

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