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Question: Transmission disconnect lines


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Pulling tranny today.  Started on it yesterday and got most items from it disconnected and ready.  Ran into the dreaded quick disconnects for the lines running to the radiator.  Forward one came off without a hitch.  Rearward one had issues.  One of the two plastic "ears" snapped and I can't get the line to pop out at all.  Tried gently sticking a micro flat screwdriver in there to compress what's left of the plastic ear, but to no avail.  

 

The block of metal that it pops into seems removable from the body of the transmission.  Looks like a wrench fits right on there (probably a 18 or 19mm.  Can I just remove this from the body of the transmission?  Or will this open up a whole can of worms?

 

Just looking at it, it appears that as I rotate the block with my wrench, the tube within might allow rotation and removal from the body.  I figured I could deal with the fitting once I get the trans out.

 

Comments/Experience?

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I'd try a little harder to get the quick connect fitting out first.  Screwdrivers, picks, spoons, etc, while pulling on the line.  If you look at the one that came out you'll see the two tabs that need to be compressed.

 

But yes, if you can't get it, those adapter fittings just spin off.  I believe they're sealed with an oring from the factory, you'll need a new one.  Spinning the fitting off will likely trash the orings in the quick connect, so you'll need to get it apart one way or another...  And it's easier if the tranny is still attached so you're only pulling on one half of it while wedging things in there.

 

If all else fails you can buy AN or hose barb fittings to replace them and ditch the quick connects.

 

 

Edit, squirting some WD-40 in the quick connect will help lube up the orings and get them to pop out.  Not looking for a "WD-40 isn't a lubricant" argument, it works well for this because it is so thin.  Kroil, AC-50, whatever, they work too, but there's really no difference for this purpose, spray it in, start working the fitting around and the oring will draw it in and then release.

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3 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

Are you using the correct tool for the quick-connector? Even if one of the "ears" is broken they will still come off.

 

heck no.  I went off of what everyone else shows in video or stated on here. Pinch with fingers, pull.  

 

I was able to dig the plastic connector out after 15 minutes with a precision screwdriver.   A brisk yank and it freed.  One of the two had an o-ring that fell out.  I'll go O-ring shopping now I suppose.  

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The 25+year old plastic gets brittle and snaps. Dorman makes new ones, I can get a part number when I get home, but it's the GM/Chrysler 3/8" fuel line ones IIRC.

After I lost O-rings out of my connectors I couldn't get them to seal again, just couldn't get any o-rings that worked for longer than a few days. Ended up just getting a whole new connectors to put into the trans. 

Some people have just given up on the quick disconnects and gone with a barbed fitting and then rubber hose to avoid then being problematic, the lines aren't really under all that much pressure but you really don't want them leaking. 

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7 hours ago, gogmorgo said:

The 25+year old plastic gets brittle and snaps. Dorman makes new ones, I can get a part number when I get home, but it's the GM/Chrysler 3/8" fuel line ones IIRC.

After I lost O-rings out of my connectors I couldn't get them to seal again, just couldn't get any o-rings that worked for longer than a few days. Ended up just getting a whole new connectors to put into the trans. 

Some people have just given up on the quick disconnects and gone with a barbed fitting and then rubber hose to avoid then being problematic, the lines aren't really under all that much pressure but you really don't want them leaking. 

 

I found them today at the parts store.  Not Dorman, but they were in the HELP isle.  They had one package that came with two different sizes.  

 

It sure is sounding like an option I may explore, the whole barbed fitting option.  I dread getting the fuel rail back together too.  I hear they give people fits.  Probably can't really do barbed fitting there, I assume.  I'd think there's probably too much pressure involved.  I disconnected my forward fuel line at the disconnect location down the side of the block instead of at the fuel rail.  Probably a mistake.  I guess I was thinking that a leak there would be better than on top of the two manifolds.  

7 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

 

AARGH - never mind, got my quick connectors mixed up.   :sad:

 

Ha!  Yea I was a bit confused, Don.

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You might get away with proper fuel injection hose over a flare in a line or something, making sure you use the proper fuel line hose clamps. It's how the fuel lines attach to the filter, at any rate, and if anything you'd have more pressure down there. It still isn't all that much pressure, maybe 75psi at the most... Not sure what the output of the pump is before its regulated down at the fuel rail.

 

The reason I didn't go with the hoses and fittings, etc, for my tranny cooler lines was that by the time all was said and done it was going to be a fair bit of work replumbing the whole line (removing fittings from the radiator, etc) and also that instead of barbs and hose clamps I was looking at using proper AN fittings on everything and braided line just to make it look good, and suddenly I realized I was going to be into it for over $100 instead of just $30 for new quick disconnect connectors. (Bear in mind I'm Canadian so exchange rates and shipping are factors, although there are more and more Canadian suppliers of this sort of thing now than when I was looking at it four years ago)

 

 

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4 hours ago, coolwind57 said:

I found them today at the parts store.  Not Dorman, but they were in the HELP isle.  They had one package that came with two different sizes.  

 

It sure is sounding like an option I may explore, the whole barbed fitting option.  I dread getting the fuel rail back together too.  I hear they give people fits.  Probably can't really do barbed fitting there, I assume.  I'd think there's probably too much pressure involved.  I disconnected my forward fuel line at the disconnect location down the side of the block instead of at the fuel rail.  Probably a mistake.  I guess I was thinking that a leak there would be better than on top of the two manifolds. 

 

Not to get technical but Help! is Dorman.

 

For future reference on the fuel rail, I undo the rail from the engine and flop it out of the way whenever I can.  You don't have to worry about the quick connect fittings then.  Obviously this isn't always an option.

 

My XJ just has FI hose with FI clamps on it going to the rail, because it's a HO rail in a Renix chassis and I didn't have the factory lines.  That said, the parts to change it to AN stuff are sitting in my Summit cart, I just don't like having that much exposed FI hose.  I did wrap the hose in heat shield material though.  They're just slipped over the factory bulb in the line (that retains the quick connects).

 

2 hours ago, gogmorgo said:

The reason I didn't go with the hoses and fittings, etc, for my tranny cooler lines was that by the time all was said and done it was going to be a fair bit of work replumbing the whole line (removing fittings from the radiator, etc) and also that instead of barbs and hose clamps I was looking at using proper AN fittings on everything and braided line just to make it look good, and suddenly I realized I was going to be into it for over $100 instead of just $30 for new quick disconnect connectors. (Bear in mind I'm Canadian so exchange rates and shipping are factors, although there are more and more Canadian suppliers of this sort of thing now than when I was looking at it four years ago)

 

You can actually get the metric (M14x1.5 ORFS or maybe they're ORB) fittings from a regular old hydraulic shop since it's a pretty common fitting apparently.  You can then go to JIC (which is basically AN), SAE, hose barb, or whatever.  But either way it gets expensive to do it.  Even good quality transmission cooler hose isn't cheap.

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i went ahead and bought new transmission line connectors, that whole block thing I described above.  Amazon had them for $9.34 each.   Figured I'd replace them both, even though one seemed fine.  28-year old plastic and O-rings....my luck is bad.    

disco.jpg.6005200ae0354f18c02146883d11fee9.jpg

 

I'd probably be at least $18 into doing it a different way, say hose barbed fittings and associated adapters, rubber line, etc.  Application chart on the back says it'll fit 87-2001 Cherokees, Comanches and Wagoneers.  

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I'm still a bit confused as to why they make two options:  Option 1 is this (what I had bought) and it costs $6.35 at Rock Auto:connector.jpg.e1d36e32719d1a6bf7ec8f470adf8461.jpg

 

Option 2 is this and it runs $13.21 each: connector2.jpg.aa432472d24b22a35d91f32b282a13db.jpg

 

I am assuming that Option 1 has everything Option 2 has, only more -- with the big block housing included and preloaded with o-rings/space, etc.  Option 2 appears to be just the guts--orings, clip, spacer.  One would have to gut the insides of the old block housing, and insert this right?    Why would anyone pay more for just the guts when they can have the entire assembly for half the cost??  What am I missing here?

 

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I may have just answered my own question.     It looks like I didn't fully read the description for Option 2, "Transmission Oil Cooler Line Connector To Oil Cooler"

 

I think this one is for the hard-line disconnect nearest the radiator.  It's not one in the same.  Sorry guys.

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Check out this pic:  

5a9c4a34ab596_disco(720x960).jpg.de7e6f5a78668aa277ab277fe89661dd.jpg

 

My new Dorman transmission cooling lines have four metal tabs just inside the opening.  Stock do not.  This is a joint in the line connecting to the top of the radiator, btw.  

 

I still use that plastic clip on the hard line, right?  I don't remove it?

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Yea, no doubt.  Looks like the new ones would be just as problematic as the old.  Probably drives people crazy trying to disconnect them without some sort of special tool.  

 

I'll remove the plastic clip then.   Thank you.

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As an update for anyone finding this thread:  Yes, you remove the old plastic clips and discard. 

 

When you push your male end into these new dorman flex house connects, you'll hear a click from the four metal tabs engaging the inner perimeter of the connector.  

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I replaced my tranny coolant lines years ago with those same Dorman lines. The tranny end was fine - no leaks ever, but the radiator end always seeped fluid around those four tabs. They only leaked out a few drops, but both  connectors were always wet. So I converted those two ends to hose and barb using fuel injection clamps, no more leaks. Hopefully they stay dry for you....

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