firemn131

Hi all..this started as a tranny filter change..ended up doing a cat bypass, several valve body springs, modulator, all vacuum and hoses to tranny...

Put it all back together filled trannsmission, All my shifting issues are gone,,,,smooth as butter, and the bypass sounds great...
now

While topping off, i was under car and my son was adding fluid via a tube that snaked over the suspension..all going well and he slipped and over filled by a little,,,then next thing i know fluid is leaking down over where the cats used to be..i then drained about a 1/2 pint out to get at propper lever....where do you ythink the fluid was coming from?,, i had heard about it backing into the vac lines if in an over fill condition..any ill effects from this?

if it is in the vac lines, what do i do..will it just work its way out?...

thnx

john

Mrmerlin

if you have fluid leaking over the cats its time to drop the exhaust and heat shields ,
then remove the cooler lines and have new flex hose crimped on,
and a heat barrier put on over the flex portion. .

Remove the lines from the transmission up to the cats also consider replacing the short connector lines that go to the radiator its probably time for it

This is how the 85 and later cars catch fire with the leaking hoses over the cats.

Make sure to orient the lines to the 4 o clock position looking from the rear,
so they dont hit the heat shield,
if the MMs are worn this can be a bad thing as the lines will be closer to the heat shields in the front,
also check the trans mounts you should see about 1 inch between the trans and the cross member

Bill Ball

So, it's leaking from a spot more toward the front of the car? That would be from an oil cooler line that runs on the top of the TT. Depending on model year, there may be a joint up there. Your going to need to drop the exhaust and examine the area above the TT. There are some large hose clamps on the TT that you can loosen so you can move the cooler lines down a bit if needed. On the other hand, if there is a problem with the cooler lines, it would leak even if not overfilled. I assume you are topping off with the engine running, right? The correct level cannot be measured with the engine not running. And whenever the engine is running, the cooler lines are under some pressure.

The vacuum line should be isolated from the fluid by a diaphragm, and it should not leak anyway. Pull off the vac line and check.

There should not be any leaks even if overfilled, providing the reservoir cap is snug and has its seal and the overflow line is attached to the top of the reservoir. You've got a problem somewhere.

If you had the rear end on jackstands, higher than the front (which is not proper for checking the level), then it is possible the leak is at a cooler line fitting further back and it ran down toward the front of the TT before dripping off.

dcrasta

I just did my trans-cooler lines on my 86. They were toasted and leaking all over my CAT. I had a hose rebuilder tell me to rebuild the lines myself, and so far they are not leaking. I used 1600 Burst high temp Hydraulic line from a place called Colliflower.inc [http://www.colliflower.com/]. They were able to rebuild them for me, however the time frame was too long for me. If it is your hose you can replace the flex section or have them rebuild. I would take a close look at the hose ends and the connectors. They should not swivel (there is a single barb in the ends, and the metal line is a 10mm line. If you rebuild I would use Fuel Injection clamps (double clamped).

To add :

The trans should never leak from the hose ends. The reservoir has a vent hose (small rubber line) to the trans, so overfilling may leak from there but that hose is near the rear of the reservoir. Leaks up front near the cats are very dangerous (fire hazard) and will burn your car to the ground as the fire will enter via the trans tunnel/Shifter hole.

Mrmerlin

If you rebuild I would use Fuel Injection clamps (double clamped).

I do not suggest to use screw clamps for this repair,^^^^^^^
I have seen it done a few times and they always seem to leak,
then you have to do the job all over again.

So go to the hose shop and have the hoses crimped on like they came from the factory ,
and add the hear resistant covering to the flex lines.


The flex portions are at the transmission and over over the cats, 4 hoses in all.

firemn131

Well, thanks for all the input...
Just some clarification..
Car was level, running in park and warm...I had the exhaust down and heat shields and replaced the trans rubber lines and all vacuum lines, modulator etc..before i replaced the filter and pan..I also made new heat shields to protect the tranny lines..
I did however use high pressure fuel injector hose but alas i did use the regular screw type worm gear clamps, as i did not investigate the pressure requirements...
So,,,i am assuming that my tranny lines leaked at the new clamps..Hopefully the new heat shielding will provide the clues......I will rpt back with the findings..

Bill Ball

Sounds like you know what the problem is. You need to have those hoses connections properly made.

firemn131

They had been previously changed out..I will probably fix the clamps and reposition the clamps, try again...I am going to put a new crush gasket on my pan plug..Does anyone know how to track these down locally?

thnx

Mrmerlin

NO DO NOT use the clamps,

remove the lines and fix them properly,

your risking your car catching on fire and or having to do this repair yet again

Bill Ball

+1 what Stan said. Either have them rebuilt properly at a hydraulic hose shop or buy new lines.

dcrasta

Fuel injection hose is not adequate for this and will not survive.

You need High temp High burst pressure Hydraulic hose . I got mine from Colliflower @ 6$ a foot and I used just under 6 feet.

Do not use worm gear clamps they will degrade the covering of the hose and eventually will leak.

Fuel Injector clamps I used 2 per end and make sure they are ahead of the barb, and evenly tightened. You will have just enough room to fit two on the ends of the hoses.

The optimal solution would be to get the hoses crimped as they were from the factory, however it would have taken the shop a full day to build the hose and I personally could not wait.

My hoses are not leaking and I know this is not the optimal fix however I have done this in the past with good results'; YMMV and the location of these hoses is critical as far as if they are not reconstructed correctly, they will leak ATF on your Cat.

I notice you are in MD. If you want to PM me for more details I can put you in touch with the guy at Colliflower that helped me.

firemn131

ok...i found a local shop to do the hoses..Since these were done before with the standard worm gear clamps, i am unsure as to the type of connection at the transmission..Were there fittings there too?
I am having trouble finding photos or a good parts diagram..I have the WSW but cant access it for a while..

thnx for all the help..John

Mrmerlin

remove the 2 banjo bolts at the rear lines( there screw into the transmission) then remove the collar nuts over the cats this should free up the lines,
also there are 3 screw clamps that hold the lines to the TT
pay attention to the white plastic line holders so the lines go back into the same position about 4 O clock when looking from rear to front

firemn131

thnx..pulled the lines from the banjos forward..NAPA said they can do it..man that would be great. i am assuming that there are crush rings on the banjos?...i guess i will do those first and then the forward ones at the radiator...and of course, i see the mounts are bad...i need to find a stopping point for now..haha

firemn131

Ok..An update..I had new rubber trannie hoses made from Cauliflower..40 for both..Put it mostly together last night..Ran it with exhaust off..shifts good, one leak at the threaded fitting at the mid point attachment..Gonna take it apart and try some plumbers putter or Teflon tape.., and soo loud.ahahaha