I am having a slight problem

i just bought and installed a brand new B&M Trans oil cooler (supercooler) and since i installed it ive had to tighten lines after testing and finding leaks well ive tightened and tightened and got the lines to where i believed they were correct

however i am still getting a very slow leak that is collecting on the bottom rad support and slowly dripping radiator coolant ive checked the 4 connection spots (the two to the steel hardlines and the two that connect to the transcooler itself and cant find anything) there is red trans coolant on the bottom of the rad letting me know its leaking through the condensor and through the alumin rad and into the support

anyways the rad has been holding up fine not fluid found anywhere until just about an hour ago when i decided to go inspect for the 40th time on the trans coolant leak and found rad coolant collecting and dripping on the bottom of the outlet hose lowpoint...looked to be leaking somewhere near the bottom of the engine where the hose connects but it shouldnt be the hose or it would have leaked before and after a few minutes it stopped

ill keep an eye on it and update tomm night
does anybody have any ideas as to what is going on???

 

Your coolant leak at the bottom of the engine is most likely your water pump. If you see coolant seeping out of the weep hole, it's only a matter of time before it gushes, so replace the water pump ASAP.

Your trans cooler leak is a little different. I'm assuming there are no leaks at the connections to the cooler. If so, are the connections pipe thread, AN thread, or clamp-on? I'm also assuming your radiator had a built in trans cooler. Did you run the new cooler in tandem with the radiator cooler? If not, did you plug the cooler holes in the radiator when the lines were removed?

 

ok the radiator is a aluminum race radiator with no built in trans cooler ...i have it set up as follows

the b&m super cooler is mounted onto the front of my ac condensor and i have the two rubber lines running around the side of the lower rad support and then connecting to the two trans steel oil lines which i cut back to make room for my new summit rad.

also i made sure that i set the lines up properly ...oil return line to left connection and oil out line to the right connection on the transcooler

the connections are absolutely dry all 4 of them and they are nice and tight...the only thing i can come to think of is that there is a problem with the cooler...ex. manufacture defect or something

i never dropped or damaged it while installing NOT ONCE so im not sure what exactly to do...i dont want to have to remount it again using different equipment and spend a few hours rigging it back up only to rattle against something

how much do water pumps run??

 

You can normally get a cheap stock replacement water pump from your local parts store for around $25. Most also charge a core fee of $5-$10, but you get that back if you bring back the old pump.

For your cooler, I would go ahead and take it loose from it's mount and let it hang under the car (if possible) or somewhere it can be seen on all sides. Let the car run to build pressure in the trans cooler and inspect for any signs of leaks. It sounds like this is what's leaking, and if so, the cooler should be returnable under warranty.

 

thx for all the input firechicken ive noticed that the leaking from the weep hole has stopped could it just have been that i had put too much coolant in the system? Or does the weep hole not serve as that purpose?

As for the cooler, when i was testing it (i had let it run and all the lines seemed shut though i only checked the two connected to the steel hardlines) i drove it down the road and onto the highway for a quick second to make sure everything was cool. Well when i got back to my house i saw that coolant was dripping really fast from under the front where i had not tightened the lines to the cooler itself well enough...coolant had spewed all over the condensor and into the rad through the condensor...i tried to wash some of it out with some water but if youve ever seen coolant leak on your garage floor you know it takes a long time for it to fully dissipate

even with the constant slow leak...ive kept checking the trans fluid level and it hasnt gone downs...im going to keep watching it and if it goes down then i guess ill just have to check the cooler. Ahh that means i have to take my rad out too which is sucha BIOTCH to get in but o well the price of mechanics

thx again man

 

Glad I could help out.

As for the water pump, the weep hole serves as a sort of warning device. As the bearings inside the pump begin to wear, coolant can leak past them and out the weep hole. Sooner or later the pressure on the coolant system will overcome the bearing seal completely and gush out the weep hole. You'd really be amazed at how much coolant can come out of that tiny little hole when things finally let go. There's really no way to tell when the pump will completely fail - could be minutes or months. I would go ahead and replace it - better to be safe than sorry.

 

how hard is it to replace it i bought the part today you were right 30 bucks for a brand new one with lifetime warranty...so anyways like what is all entailed with removal and intallation on a 350 l98? Can i do it myself (amateur mechanic) or do i need to pay a pro to do it right the first time???

 

You should be able to do it yourself. It's just two hoses and four bolts. Tip: break the torque on the pulley bolts (4) before removing the belt. Also, I would use a coolant friendly RTV on both sides of the gaskets. You should be able to do the entire job in about 30-60 minutes depending on how proficient you are.