Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[LC0112G]

.. The bits that go from the solid pipes on the chassis rail to the banjo bolts on the rad. The bits ringed in red below.



I'm fairly sure one of mine is now leaking. I'm getting pools of red ATF fluid under the drivers side front bumper. I've replaced the copper O rings on the banjos, and that hasn't cured the leak, and it's the rubber pipes that are wet with oil, not the rad face.

Just been to the scrappy to extract the ones of the car up there, and discovered a fatal flaw in my cunning plan for tonight. The flexi pipes are crimped to the chassis rail pipes, not secured with jubilee clips. It seems they're actually part of the pipe from looking at EPC, so not separatley replaceable. Replacing the whole pipe is a non starter coz it looks like that is an engine and gearbox out job.

Only thing I can think of is to hack saw the old flexi pipes off after the crimp, and then replace with slightly longer flexi pipes and use jubilee clips. Anyone else got any better ideas?

[Marks DTM Calib]

It should work ok although I would be tempted to pop down your local hydraulic pipe suppliers to get some pipe.

There is not much pressure in the oil lubrication system on the auto box so (good quality) jubilee clips will work fine.

[Bigron]

Do you really need longer hoses? If the ones from the scrappy are in fact too short, maybe cut YOUR hoses off at the chassis end, leaving a few inches and cut the crimps off the salvaged ones and then use a short length of copper pipe plus clips to re-join the hoses?
Or it may be even simpler than that: how hard is it to peel off the crimps, and what length of stub is left if you were to? If there is sufficient of a stub left proud, you could clip your salvaged hose to that?

Ron.

[LC0112G]

Do you really need longer hoses? If the ones from the scrappy are in fact too short, maybe cut YOUR hoses off at the chassis end, leaving a few inches and cut the crimps off the salvaged ones and then use a short length of copper pipe plus clips to re-join the hoses?

Yes, thought about that too. Problem is, I haven't worked out exactly where or why my pipes are leaking. If it's because they've perrished (rather than just my abuse) then I'd be reluctant to leave any part of them in there. I've tried that with perrished fuel pipes before, and you end up with a garden sprinkler effect.

Or it may be even simpler than that: how hard is it to peel off the crimps, and what length of stub is left if you were to? If there is sufficient of a stub left proud, you could clip your salvaged hose to that?

Crimps look like decent quality proper hydraulic crimps (so probably not manufactured by Opel then  ) I don't think I fancy the chances of undoing them and repairing sucessfully.

[omegod]

Copper microbore piping , rubber hose and some decent jubilees, the trusty combo that always gets me sorted one way or another Not heard of ATF leaks like this before though 

[LC0112G]

Well, it's definatley a leaking pipe - and I think it's at the crimped join between the flexi and solid pipe. Bloody awful access there too - It's under the bracket that the air filter box sits on, and also underneath the power steering pipework. Lord knows how I'm going to get in there to effect a repair. I'm back off up the scrappy lunchtime with a battery powered dremmel for some practice 

[omegod]

I looked at selling the very same pipes to a guy putting a V6 into a scimitar and after seeing the routing under the steering box we both agreed it woulld be best to find a new route with copper piping as they look near impossible to remove due to the bends in the metal pipes. Best of luck 

[LC0112G]

Rats - Managed to hacksaw off the old pipe just after the crimp, slide on some new hytraulic hose and jubilee clamp it up. Started her up, to be met with a shower of ATF fluid comming from the rad end of the new pipe. Took it all apart, replaced the hose again and used new hose clamps. Started up, and another shower of ATF fluid. Confuddled

So I took the banjo bolts out of the rad, and removed the pipe attachment do-dah (item 3 in the picture). Turns out the top pipe on it has rusted through underneath the crease where the hydraulic hose buts up to. Replaced that with the one from the scrappy and it all seems ok now. Not sure the flexi pipe was damaged now, so amputation may not have been necessary.

Topped up the ATF fluid - what a hateful job that is. It took over 2 litres.

Anyway, look on the bright side - the drivers side chassis leg is safe from the tin worm for a year or two with all that oil in it