How to fix a Jeep, Part II

[KA4D]

A few years back I had the transmission on my Jeep rebuilt. The shop told me the transmission cooling lines were leaking, and they'd replace them as part of the job. For whatever reason, they didn't replace the lines. When I pointed this out, they said they'd do it at cost - $500. Knowing we're talking about a simple part, I took it under advisement rather than take them up on it.

A few Internet searches later and I learned that these things go for $100-$200 retail, so I decided to do it myself. I purchased stainless lines and attempted the job, only to discover that the exhaust must be dropped. The lines snake between the exhaust and the engine block.

While I pondered how to attack this job, time passed. I cut a section of the tubing that was leaking and spliced in a rubber hose. This addressed the most pressing issue, so the project was shelved as I monitored the driveway for signs of additional leaks. That happened a few weeks ago.

This weekend I finally tackled the job. I had to remove a skid plate, two of the oxygen sensors, the transmission cable bracket and drop the exhaust from the manifold.

The latter required reaching up from underneath with several feet of extensions for the ratchet...

FromTheSide.jpg

...and reaching up and using a stubby wrench (middle-left). There's actually a lot less space there than it looks.

LookingUp.jpg

The latter was actually very effective, albeit slow. The old bolts were in pretty good shape, which was a good thing as I needed to reuse two of them. I had purchased new bolts in case the old were no good. The new bolts fit, but two wouldn't tighten all the way. I suspect there is a very minor difference in the dimensions of the OEM versus these aftermarket bolts I was using, or - given that two of the four worked - it was a quality control issue.

Before (a small section)...

Before.jpg

After...

After.jpg

The hardest part (not shown) was physically wrenching one of the lines up and over the lowered exhaust. The other has fewer sharp bends, so it slid more easily into place. Once that was done, I bolted everything back together.

The engine came to life without leaks. As Pete Juliano, N6QW, said, "When you know stuff you can do stuff!"

P.S. - I make this sound easy, and to a certain extent it was, but I had to take frequent breaks due to the heat (no A/C in the garage). I probably had a dozen glasses of water & juice on Sunday. It would've been faster in cooler weather.

[JFischer]

You are the muscular class right before our eyes. "When you know stuff, you can do stuff" That's a great motto.