B&M 70264: Leaking at Cooler Fittings?

[dbsoundman]

Hey guys, I noticed recently that the B&M 70264 I installed a couple months ago seems to leak periodically. I fitted the new transmission fluid hoses directly to the B&M's taps without any adapters, and used hose clamps. I got the clamps as tight as I could, though I only used a flathead screwdriver so far to tighten them. I keep getting gradual leaks that come back after a couple weeks. It drips down into the frame directly below, and drips through the drain holes (I mounted the cooler in front of the A/C condenser).

Is there something special I should do to keep this connection tight and leak-free? I know the cooler came with a bunch of special fittings but I didn't use any of them because I didn't think I needed them. I am positive I used transmission fluid hose, and I used the same size that came with the kit (3/8" I think), just had to buy more at the auto parts store because the amount that came with the kit isn't long enough.

Any thoughts/ideas?

 

[Drcoffee]

If its the b&m ports leaking, use a wrench to bed the hose clamp. Tighten it until the steel hose clamp is flush with the rubber hose. When you slide your finger across it, you should not feel a ridge from the rubber or steel. It will be smooth. But i have to ask, did you use transmission cooler hose? Fuel line will breakdown from ATF. Make sure you used the correct hose.

The other question would be, are you sure its leaking at the cooler and not the radiator? If it leaks from the radiator port, it could be broken and you need to replace the radiator before it ruins the transmission.

 

[dbsoundman]

If its the b&m ports leaking, use a wrench to bed the hose clamp. Tighten it until the steel hose clamp is flush with the rubber hose. When you slide your finger across it, you should not feel a ridge from the rubber or steel. It will be smooth. But i have to ask, did you use transmission cooler hose? Fuel line will breakdown from ATF. Make sure you used the correct hose.

The other question would be, are you sure its leaking at the cooler and not the radiator? If it leaks from the radiator port, it could be broken and you need to replace the radiator before it ruins the transmission.

I may need to get a wrench to it, just have to get some adapters first, I lost one of my sockets at one point and of course it's the size I need for this job...:rant:

I took the radiator out of the equation (bypassed), so fortunately that is not the problem here. It's definitely leaking under pressure from the transmission cooler itself.

 

[Drcoffee]

If you bypassed the radiator, I strongly, I mean strongly recommend you get a trans temp gauge too. One little cooler will get overwhelmed in the summer heat. You may find that you need two coolers in series to keep temps under control. If you plan to go off road, a fan of some type may be needed too.

Also, if you needed extra length of hose to make it fit, I would also strongly recommend buying a true 3/8" hose for the job. What comes from B&M is 11/32" hose which i think is 30% smaller ID than 3/8". That will add back pressure and decrease efficiency and put too much back pressure on the transmission pump.

 

[dbsoundman]

If you bypassed the radiator, I strongly, I mean strongly recommend you get a trans temp gauge too. One little cooler will get overwhelmed in the summer heat. You may find that you need two cooler in series to keep temps under control.

Also, if you needed extra length of hose to make it fit, I would also strongly recommend buying a true 3/8" hose for the job. What comes from B&M is 11/32" hose which i think is 30% smaller ID than 3/8". That will add back pressure and decrease efficiency and put too much back pressure on the transmission pump.

I DID buy 3/8" hose, I didn't use any of the hose that B&M provided because it was too short. I also monitor the trans temp with the Torque app on my phone. So far so good, but I haven't been through a summer yet so we'll see. I'm pretty confident that it will be fine.

 

[BucksCo]

Did you find out what the problem was?

I have the exact same cooler that I installed 5 months ago and it's just starting to leak now. I just came in from spraying the area with break cleaner to clean it up so I can find out exactly where the leak is.

 

[dbsoundman]

Did you find out what the problem was?

I have the exact same cooler that I installed 5 months ago and it's just starting to leak now. I just came in from spraying the area with break cleaner to clean it up so I can find out exactly where the leak is.

I did find the problem - my hoses still weren't tight enough. Went back in and tightened them even more, and I haven't had a leak since (at least not one that I've noticed).