Found a leak on one of my tranny lines. Where the tubing goes into a brass threaded fitting that goes into the front of the tranny. I tried tightening the threaded coupling and it made it much worse. I assume there is a crack in or around the flare inside the coupling.

Called the dealership. They said the lines came as a complete set ONLY, I could not just get that one line that I need. They quoted me over $500 for parts and labor to fix it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bull hockey. Can these lines be readily fabricated? What size line is it? What is the line made of, stainless or aluminum?

Any other ideas of how to fix this problem?

Truck is dead in the driveway, I dont dare drive it, and I aint about to pay the $%#@ dealership $500.

 

I've known quite a few folks who have replaced all the lines with 1/2" hydraulic hose. Just take the bad line with it's connecters to a hydraulic or tractor shop, Napa even makes up hoses in my area. Show them what you need and you should be on you way for less than $25.

 

I agree, if you have a heavy equip repair shop like catepillar or john deere, they could make up a hose. Good time to plumb in a tranny temp gage?

 

Great idea guys!

I removed the line. It goes up to the thing that is mounted on the engine block. No cracks but I can move the tubing when it is totally tightened down in the brass flare nut. I assume the flare is flattened out. You just cant tighten it enough to get the flare to seat.

Will the hydraulic shop have the fittings I need? Are they common or bastardized?

 

Most shops will have what you need, the fittings Dodge uses are nothing strange.

 

I bent up my own, two were out of steel and when I plumbed the under bed tranny cooler I used aluminum. Just regular 1/2" tube works fine with the factory flares.

 

Thanks again everyone.
I dropped the line off at a hydraulic shop a little while ago. The guy acted like it was going to be a big deal to get such a tight bend. I told him to make it out of hose if he cant bend it right.

 

Got it fixed!
To maybe help someone else with the same problem let me tell you what I found.

The brass adapter/seat that the flared tubing fits into at the tranny was screwed up at the factory (IMO). You could not tighten the flare nut enough to seal the flare. The guy at the hydraulics shop looked at it and found a nitrile o-ring/washer inside the seat.
The flare was not even mating up with the corresponding surface of the seat! Dodge had slipped the nitrile washer in so it would seal.
My thoughts are that Dodge got a bunch of brass flare nuts with the threads not cut deep enough in them and rigged a fix with the nitrile washer.

Total cost of the fix? $5.67 for a new brass adapter/seat. Vs. almost $600 the dealer said it was going to cost me.