Transmission Fluid Cooling Hoses???

[ClanGunn]

96' Landcruiser............

My gf had her Landcruiser in a shop last week to do the 3 belt change. They also changed a tranny cooling hose which had worn through after the broken belt wrapped around the radiator fan and hit it repeatedly as she drove home the short distance from work.

The hose which was replaced is, as you look into the engine bay from the front of the LC, at the bottom left of the radiator and is about 5/8" to 3/4" diameter.

My question is does this hose carry tranny fluid?
I looked at the engine bay after the wrecker took the LC back to the shop that replaced the hose, and the hose was rubbing up against a pulley at the bottom left of the engine and looked like it had worn through. There was also a pool of tranny fluid right beneath the hose, while the whole engine bay was covered in fluid.
It was less than a week ago that the hose was replaced, so my thinking is that the hose gradually wore through over the last 5 days.

Also, what would be some items to look out for after repairs have been made to ensure the tranny is working correctly?
If the shop is at fault, I don't want them doing a shoddy quick repair to save themselves the money it will cost them if say the tranny is shot.

My gf said that as she pulled the LC over it was jerking when shifting, so I suspect some damage in there at least.

Thanks for any and all responses.

 

[Rookie2]

First thing to check if the tranny is changing rough, would be the fluid level. Sounds like you lost some and if low, the shifting could be rough. If you lost too much, you could also overheat the fluid you did have left.

The hose coming out of the bottom of the radiator has a 90 degree bend right after it comes out of the radiator. Not sure, but that's probably a preformed hose, so a straight piece replacement is probably not suitable. You can check with C'dan to be sure.

My $0.02.


Rookie2

 

[ClanGunn]

I already know there is little to no tranny fluid in there. It's all over the road and engine bay.
In the quick look I had at it when they towed it to the shop today I didn't really look to see if there was a pre-formed hose on there. Just that it was rubbing against a pulley.

There was a lot of smoke, but that was probably from the fluid on the engine as it was coming from under the hood.

Basically, I need to know if that hose carries tranny fluid, what damage may have occured to the tranny, and what to look for when the repairs are complete so I know they did it properly.
If they installed the hose incorrectly, they may just replace it, fill up with tranny fluid, and not touch the tranny which must have sustained some damage.

There was absolutely no problem until that hose was replaced, but then again, that may just be coincidence.

 

[CJF]

I don't understand what you're saying here.

Did the rig break down once, or twice? Was it towed to a shop once, or twice?

Give it to me again please, in precise chronological order.

Curtis

 

[Cruiser Jimmy]

I'm pretty sure your year LC had a transmission oil cooler that is in front of the A/C condensor. The tranny cooler is about 15' X 12' and to the right side of the condensor, if you're facing the LC from the front.
If so, then there are cooling lines that run from the tranny up to the front of the cooler. If you can examine the fluid and confirm that it's either red, red'dist or lite brown, this will be tranny fluid.

Depending on how long the vehicle was driven with limited/no tranny fluid with answer your question of what kind of damage occured. You could be fine, you could have a problem later, or the next owner will have the problem.

Hope we've helped you out.

 

[Rookie2]

Basically, I need to know if that hose carries tranny fluid,

If we're talking about the same hose, the FSM identifies it as an oil cooler hose. I presume it carries tranny fluid, but not sure exactly how or why it appears to circulate through the bottom section of the radiator. Maybe someone else will chime in and explain.


Rookie2

 

[CJF]

I presume it carries tranny fluid, but not sure exactly how or why it appears to circulate through the bottom section of the radiator.

This has long been a standard feature on radiators for vehicles with automatic transmissions: In the lower radiator tank, there's a small subtank that tranny fluid passes through. On a 62 series, for example, that is the extent of the stock "tranny cooler". Starting in '91, external coolers in front of the rad were added.

Curtis

 

[Photoman]

Radiator 101

The 96 and 97 cruisers have a downflow type radiator. The plastic part on top where the hose connects and cap goes on is the top tank. Next going down is the core, with the tubes and fins. On the bottom where the lower hose connects and the petcock is located is the plastic bottom tank. Inside the plastic bottom tank is the oil cooler. This is sort of misnamed as it is the transmission oil cooler. See picture. 96 and 97’s also can have an auxiliary transmission oil cooler. This is the one in front of the AC condensor.

The transmission oil cooler in the bottom radiator tank both cools and heats the transmission oil. If the tranny oil is hotter than the water in the radiator, then the heat is transferred from the tranny fluid to the water coolant. The transmission oil cooler as seen in the picture is just like a small radiator with tubes and fins that is surrounded by the water coolant in the bottom radiator tank. The two fittings coming out of the bottom tank that the rubber hoses connect to are the in and out of the transmission oil cooler. The rubber hoses are the transition from the hard metal tubing from the transmission to the transmission oil cooler. These allow for some flex between the two.

To the question; It sounds like a belt broke and when it whipped the transmission cooler hose it bent or pulled loose one of the metal lines making the new hose run too close to the pulley. A fix would be to create more space between the two. The metal line could be bent back which would move the rubber hose away. A loose zip tie could be used to hold the hose back from the pulley if the new hose is not preformed OEM.
As far as transmission damage it’s hard to say. I would smell any fluid that is left on the dipstick to see if it smells burnt. Or, add the new fluid, run it through the tranny and then smell that. Burnt smell equals bad.
Hope this helps.



Bill

 

[-Spike-]

Most likely the tranny isn't damaged. The tranny will quit shifting if the fluid gets too low via a fast leak. It will feel wrong, but it won't have time to overheat before it just quits shifting altogether. Yes, the 'oil cooler' lines carry tranny fluid, first to the radiator internal cooler and then to the external cooler mounted in front of the radiator. Make sure the lines are replaced with OEM parts and the tranny is filled to spec. Good time to flush the tranny too.

-Spike

 

[Cruiser Jimmy]

Most likely the tranny isn't damaged. The tranny will quit shifting if the fluid gets too low via a fast leak. It will feel wrong, but it won't have time to overheat before it just quits shifting altogether.
-Spike

Hit the nail on the head. [editted prior respond]

 

[ClanGunn]

Thanks for all the feedback.

It was indeed the tranny oil cooler hose rubbing against a pulley which caused the problem.

The shop rectified the problem, so I now have to keep an eye on the transmission and how it acts to determine if there will be any long term damage.
I will check the fluid for a burnt smell as suggested after a few more days of running, and hope that all is well, otherwise I have to convince the shop who screwed up on the LC in the 1st place to repair any tranny problems.

Thanks again.