77 CHEVY VAN (Trans line)

July 17, 2008, 03:35:51 PM

Guys, I have tried, and tried, and tried but for some reason this transmission line keeps dripping where it attaches to the radiator cooler. I'm threading it in nice and slow, with everything looking straight. Any little tips or solutions? Thanks.

77 CHEVY VAN (Trans line)

Reply #1 – July 20, 2008, 06:03:45 PM

Is this a standard "flare" fitting on the line, with a captured nut that screws onto the fitting on the rad? It's quite possible the flare on the line has already been compressed to fit the previous fitting (is this a new rad?) and has no more "squishability" in it to adapt to a new position, no matter how straight.

You can try cutting and re-flaring the tube to get a nice new surface, and/or put in a new fitting that hasn't been deformed yet.

Plus, instead of just installing and cranking it down as tight as you can the first time, loosen and re-tighten it 4-5 times to allow the two surfaces to "bed in" to each other. This also works for fittings that use copper or aluminum gaskets.