Advice on removing DSE auto tranny oil cooler

My DSE auto oil cooler is leaking oil with a bit now and is getting worse.

I've read that the fittings are inclined to snap when taking it off. Not having a spare lying around and seeing them go for £200 on ebay I've been reluctant to touch it and have just kept topping it up along with all the other expensive fluids my Rangie loves to consume!

Having had the snapped fitting experience (oh sh!t, where am I going to get this welded before Monday!) with the trans oil dipstick I'm asking for help in advance this time

Any successful suggestions welcome!





Any 'Noooooo, don't do thatttt you ****' welcome also

leeeeve it did mine on my p38 an it stripped the threads on the way off. if it can go wrong it will go wrong i think it is a land rover thing just get the pipes and the oil cooler first so you have it all before you start

Hi Spud..how strange, I managed to twist the dipstick tube fitting out of the sump yesterday !!!...managed to get it TIG welded locally for €20.

My experiences of the aluminium coolers....I have done 3 of them to date, is that the steel tube nuts seized solid on every one despite being soaked with Plus Gas, Freeze spray and trying heat...in every case the nuts ripped the threads from the stub and clogged the nuts when they were being removed. On my own coolers I cut the steel pipe on the hoses, removed the nuts, cleaned the threads out with a fine thread metric tap (We had them at work) and rejoined the cut pipe with a compression connector suitable for up to 15bar. On the other one, the guy opted for new hoses when he bought the cooler.
I believe that electrolytic action between the two disimilar metals together with the heat causes them to corrode and seize.
My advice is, soak them with Plus Gas or freeze spray....if they do not show signs of coming undone easily, leave them and order new hoses as well as the cooler unless you can get a good second hand assembly complete with hoses attached.
:behindsofa:

Irishrover said:

Hi Spud..how strange, I managed to twist the dipstick tube fitting out of the sump yesterday !!!...managed to get it TIG welded locally for €20.

Click to expand...

My bracket bolting the dipstick to the engine block was broken before I bought it but I didn't think much of it. When I was underneath it I barely had the spanner on it when it snapped so i was reeeal lucky. It could've easily snapped driving along the road and I would have known nothing about it. Bodged a replacement bracket using galvoband so it is rock solid since.

Irishrover said:

My experiences of the aluminium coolers....I have done 3 of them to date, is that the steel tube nuts seized solid on every one despite being soaked with Plus Gas, Freeze spray and trying heat...in every case the nuts ripped the threads from the stub and clogged the nuts when they were being removed. On my own coolers I cut the steel pipe on the hoses, removed the nuts, cleaned the threads out with a fine thread metric tap (We had them at work) and rejoined the cut pipe with a compression connector suitable for up to 15bar. On the other one, the guy opted for new hoses when he bought the cooler.
I believe that electrolytic action between the two disimilar metals together with the heat causes them to corrode and seize.
My advice is, soak them with Plus Gas or freeze spray....if they do not show signs of coming undone easily, leave them and order new hoses as well as the cooler unless you can get a good second hand assembly complete with hoses attached.
:behindsofa:

Click to expand...

Well, i have all the freeze stuff and gas but at the very minimum I'll make sure I have some correct compress fittings and pipe to replace it with a straight thru piece before I go at it. I've long been considering re-locating it anyway as it's in a stupid place if you do any off roading. Its had a few close shaves already so its only a matter of time before I forget about it and get it caught on a tree stump or rock.