Transmission Cooler Lines for Crewcab...

[ehjorten]

So while I was out Elk hunting last week I had a little snafu!  It was night-time and pouring down rain.  All of a sudden the truck goes completely dead while driving!  Pulled-off on the side of the road, got out and checked under the hood.  HOLY-####!!!!  The positive battery cable is glowing bright-red, sizzling & crackling!!!!!  Run to the cab to get my mini-mag and dig-out my multi-tool.  All the time I'm thinking...FIRE!  Get back to the battery and disconnect the battery.

All safe now, but the insulation on the positive lead is melted and dripping and the accessory wire melted the solderless-crimp connector and is now in two pieces!  What am I going to do now???  It is about 10 pm and I got to get home so that I can get up at 4 am for the next days hunt!  How am I going to get home?  How am I going to fix this in the middle of the night with no stores open & how am I going to get any sleep???  Cop happened to be going by on the road not 5 minutes after this happened and then another showed-up.  They were really cool!  Helped tow me off of the road after they went back and got the SUV with the tow strap (no way the cruiser's push bars were going to even be close to reaching up to my bumper!!!).  Called my mom and she was en-route to come get me (45 minutes away though).  The cops also advised me that I had better take care of this tonight, because even though my truck was off to the side, that come morning people were going to be calling in and complaining about it and that they would have to do something.

Realizing I had a roll of electrical tape in the glove-box, I thought...just maybe I could splice the accessory wire and wrap the positive lead.  I thought that even if that worked, there was probably no way the battery would have anything left to turn over the engine.  By the time Mom showed-up I was just finishing wrapping everything and making sure everything was in order.  I connected the battery and hopped-in the truck...turned the key...and she lit right up!!!!   

Now...the part about the tranny cooler lines...finally you are saying what the heck does this have to do with the battery cable?

A few strands of the battery cable welded themselves to one of the tranny cooler lines.  Luckily it didn't burn a hole, but at that spot it is weeping a little.  I looked for replacement lines, but neither Chevrolet nor NAPA has anything.  I next looked at Inline Tube and they have something listed for 88-94 4WD Chevy Trucks with a 4L80E and listed for 1-tons (P/N CTT9241).  Any idea if this works for my rig (1991 Chevy V3500 w/454 - so 1-ton with 4L80E trans)?

I know I could probably just repair it, but then it would be repaired and I am a bit anal about these things! 

Oh...also...when I went to remove the positive lead on the starter to replace it...guess what...the freakin stud spun out of the back of the solenoid and the phenolic insulator on the back of it busted apart!!!! So now I also have a new starter! LOL

[bd]

Sorry to hear about your woes....  But, Hey!  Epics are the spice of life!  Without them, existence would be just that.  Besides, they make good stories to share with the grandchildren!  Good thing you're resourceful and the rain wasn't frozen....   

What did Inline say about the fit when you contacted them?  Maybe they can provide more details.      If push rolls to shove, perhaps you could procure some bulk line and fabricate your own.

Don't forget to replace that roll of electrical tape!   

[ehjorten]

Inline wasn't very helpful in regards to if they would fit.  They didn't even have any pictures of the lines.  I ordered them anyways and can compare them to the originals.  If they don't match then I can just return them.

The only problem about fabricating my own is that these are not simple bent hard lines...they have a flex section in them near the transmission.  Inline will do duplication if I have to go that route...it generally costs about 20-25% more over there stock prices to get lines duplicated.  I'll just have to send the originals to them.  I find I prefer a really clean original look or a sano-retrofit over just cutting and splicing in a repair section.

I'll get it figured-out eventually...hopefully the currently weeping line holds till then.  It also wouldn't be the first time that I slit a piece of rubber hose and clamped it over the offending leak! 

[Captkaos]

Did you check with Classic Tube?  They sometimes have pieces that Inline doesn't.  Also a 88-94 won't work on your truck.  You could always splice in a repair at the weaping point.