Mr._Graybeard
08-28-2010, 10:38 AM
Well, for a brief moment thoughts of my up-to-now dead-nuts reliable E34 commingled with gasoline and a match. I blew one of the trans cooler lines at the back of the engine ... then, while removing the fitting on the cooler, all the threads on the cooler nipple came off with it.
I've got the other fitting soaked with penetrating oil (gotta replace that line too, for sure) but I'm not sure I going to do any better. With the exposure to road moisture down there, it's a hothouse for galvanic corrosion. The belly pan might make it even worse.
I'm thinking of three options at the moment:
1: while installing the new lines on the cooler as is, try some teflon tape and see if the line fitting tightens down. There are some thread nubbins left on the nipple, so that might work. The pressure is only a little over a bar, but of course the coolant gets quite warm. And of course, that'll leave me wondering how sound and permanent the repair is.
2: pull the cooler and take it to a local machine shop where they might be able to weld on some new nipples or even hose barbs. I don't really see any need for hard lines there. I did the same thing with a trans cooler line on a Ford Taurus and it works just fine.
3: buy a new cooler from Kirt Koeller. It's in the ZF parts catalog on E38.org. I'll be sitting down when he quotes me a price.
I've wanted to change out the hoses for years, really, but I had a lot of concern about how the cooler would fare. So now I know the answer: not too well.
I've got the other fitting soaked with penetrating oil (gotta replace that line too, for sure) but I'm not sure I going to do any better. With the exposure to road moisture down there, it's a hothouse for galvanic corrosion. The belly pan might make it even worse.
I'm thinking of three options at the moment:
1: while installing the new lines on the cooler as is, try some teflon tape and see if the line fitting tightens down. There are some thread nubbins left on the nipple, so that might work. The pressure is only a little over a bar, but of course the coolant gets quite warm. And of course, that'll leave me wondering how sound and permanent the repair is.
2: pull the cooler and take it to a local machine shop where they might be able to weld on some new nipples or even hose barbs. I don't really see any need for hard lines there. I did the same thing with a trans cooler line on a Ford Taurus and it works just fine.
3: buy a new cooler from Kirt Koeller. It's in the ZF parts catalog on E38.org. I'll be sitting down when he quotes me a price.
I've wanted to change out the hoses for years, really, but I had a lot of concern about how the cooler would fare. So now I know the answer: not too well.