Cleaning out tranny cooling lines??

[Roc87]

Well, after less than 2 weeks of running time, I blew out the trans in the Iroc . Lost everything but 1st and reverse, needed to come out anyways, had the wrong converter (D9?) . Took it out last night and went ahead and dropped the pan. Looked like graphite everywhere on the bottom of the pan. Do I need to clean out the cooler lines before installing the rebuilt tranny? How should I do that? Or should I just install it and then do a tranny service a week after driving?

 

[Chuck Leeper]

A week after!!

NO way do U wait a week!! You'll be doing it all over again!!
The lines have to be cleaned and the cooler has to be replaced. If the cooler is in the rad, forget it and add a NEW external cooler...
The "graphite" is clutch matl and most likely alum dust, etc..
DO NOT forget the converter!! If the verter is NOT opened and cleaned, it will contaminate the new tranny and cooler..

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by roc87
Well, after less than 2 weeks of running time, I blew out the trans in the Iroc . Lost everything but 1st and reverse, needed to come out anyways, had the wrong converter (D9?) . Took it out last night and went ahead and dropped the pan. Looked like graphite everywhere on the bottom of the pan. Do I need to clean out the cooler lines before installing the rebuilt tranny? How should I do that? Or should I just install it and then do a tranny service a week after driving?

I'll tell ya a secret.
Undo both ends of the trany cooler lines
Take a 1/4" garage door steel cable, and run it thru the cooler lines to make sure they are open. On the F bods with the way the cooler lines run by the exhaust it bakes the tranny fuild and the lines plug up.
Then lots of part houses carry tranny cooler cleaners, comes in an aerosol can, and you let the stuff soak and blow out the cooler, a couple dozen times, then install the new tranny and converter.

 

[Roc87]

You are right, you should see how close my tranny lines are to the downpipe . I might end up bending some new steel lines AWAY from the heat and cleaning out the tranny cooler in radiator and the external one I have using your method.

 

[Clay Thompson]

Use an external filter

While you are redoing your lines consider using an external filter that goes ahead of the cooler in the radiator and, if you add one, ahead of the external cooler. That way, you can catch trash from your next blown trannie or convertor and just have one line to clean out. Also, the extra filter will help keep trash to a minimum in you trannie system.

Bruce has filters listed on his website http://www.2004rperformancecenter.com/

One thing I do to clean debris from the rad cooler--after flushing it backwards a few times with chemicals and compressed air--is undo the "out" line, attach a short fabricated hard line and stick a cork in it, start the engine, the pressure blows the cork and gushes clean trannie fluid through cooler for one last flush. For best results do this at a friends house so you don't have the mess--what are friends for. Right?

I like the idea about using the steel cable--kinda like roto-rooter.

 

[Roc87]

Thanks for the ideas! Seems like you can't have too many filters for the tranny! You're right about a friends house, that fluid gets EVERYWHERE!