tranny cooler failure
 

'82 Euro S

My tranny cooler developed a leak and intermixed with my coolant.

Ended up expelling fluids out the coolant reservoir overflow tube.

I thought I had a tranny line burst as I developed shifting issues
and noticed the fluids dripping from that area.

I'm assuming that there is no way to repair (or trust) the cooler
as it sits now -- this cooler is internal to the radiator?

Would I be best served putting an external cooler in, plugging the tranny fluid lines
and flushing both the coolant and tranny systems?

any recommendations on an external cooler source?

thanks,

mike

Flushing the trans is priority. The ethylene glycol in coolant can weaken and dissolve the adhesives used for band and clutch friction material.

I had an internal trans cooler crack a few years ago. The transmission runs at much higher pressures than the radiator. You'll find very little, if any coolant in the transmission. OTOH, the radiator will have a lot transmission fluid in it. You can replace the internal cooler with a good used one. And since it's on the side of the radiator that normally develops leaks at the end tank, you might as well replace it since it has to come off anyway. I did a detailed write up on this job a few years ago, and there was activity on that thread yesterday so you won't have to look hard to find it.

All I did to the transmission was a complete drain. I blew out both lines that run from the cooler to the transmission and drained the torque convertor as well. Obviously I put in a new filter. I saw little evidence of coolant. On the cooling system, I just drained it completely, and pulled the block drains. Most of the transmission fluid came out during the initial drain. But there was still enough left in it that I used some of that radiator flush **** you can get at the parts stores. That was a few years ago, and I haven't had any issues with it. Even after flushing you may have some trace amounts of trans fluid left, but eventually it will make it way up to the overflow tank and stay there. I think I sucked out the last little bit with a turkey baster.

Turkey baster...if my wife only knew what I've done with that thing when she wasn't looking.

928 International sells the replacement tank and sometimes will have used oil coolers. If they don't have a cooler, I have them....already pressure tested.

Watch your radiator hoses carefully, after you get all the oil cleaned out of the cooling system. Oil softens them. Automatic Dishwasher soap works pretty good to run through the cooling system a few times to clean it out. Great at removing grease/oil and doesn't foam very much. Leave the "coolant" out for a couple of weeks (you can run a very diluted mix of coolant, if you worry about not using any) using Bill's wife's turkey baster to remove any oil that might find its way to the top of the coolant reservour. Flush the water out, once you quit "getting" oil into the reservour and then put in the proper coolant/water mix.