Transmission Coolant Lines

[Stadawim]

Okay, i just looked through the forums for the past 30 minutes and couldn't find what i needed. So i got to ask - does anyone have a diagram that shows where the line goes from the rad to _____ wherever it goes?

Here was the sitrep: i went to start the car and go when i noticed some steam, then found coolant spraying onto the belts. I noticed this cause turning the wheel to get back into the spot was hard. Stop car, raise hood and there's something missing. Apparently the line came off from the rad. I have no clue when this happened cause the line isn't in the engine bay anywhere i can see, and i don't suspect it happened driving cause it either may have went into the belts then or the coolant may have sprayed onto the belts then and i should've noticed it trying to turn (slippery belts). So i know what and where is missing from the top end of the rad, but where does it go?

[nos4blood70]

Wait.. So is coolant spraying out, or transmission fluid? Coolant will be orange or green, depending on the car's maintenance history. Transmission fluid will be dark red or brown, and thicker.

[Stadawim]

Coolant.

EDIT: I should also note, that this isn't either of the two that run into the actual transmission block underneath. That's what making this so confusing. Those two are solid, and running into where they need to. It's the one that is at the top of the rad by the cap, under the reservoir overflow tube, and then runs.... Where?

[MKMike]

There are no metal coolant lines running from the radiator.
There are only metal transmission lines and rubber radiator hoses.
The other metal lines next to the radiator cap are air conditioning lines.
Perhaps an AC line rubbed a hole into the radiator side tank over time.
On the engine, over near the alternator, PS pump and water pump there are black plastic coolant elbows on the belt tensioner that crack and spray coolant all over the belts.
There are also heater hoses that branch off the same belt tensioner housing, which can leak.

[Stadawim]

Okay. So here's the connector minus the line. Right under the cap.




And here is a shot of the lower part of the transmission case showing the two connectors in place. I ran these back and found them connected in their proper connectors.

This is why i'm confused. I mean, if i even found the remnants of the previous line that was there i wouldn't have the problem.

[MKMike]

After looking at the radiators on a 2000 SSEi and a 2003 SLE , I'm 100% certain that it's one of the transmission cooler line connections.

Your transmission and radiator are connected by 2 separate transmission cooler lines.
Your last picture shows the 2 lines connected at the transmission, but there are also 2 ends which connect to the radiator.

If you look at the bottom of the same radiator tank where there's an empty connection, you will see where the end of the other transmission cooler line is plugged into the tank.
These lines should only contain transmission fluid----unless the transmission cooler inside the radiator tank has gone bad.
There should be transmission fluid spraying out of the line itself, which is a metal line at each end, connected by a rubber hose.
The lines are secured on the frame behind the radiator--so look there, follow the lines and I'm sure you'll find the missing line.
There are no threaded fittings on the line itself, as these are "jiffy-tite" connections.
The part that you are looking at on the radiator is supposed to have a clip in it which retains the line.
The clips look like this https://smile.amazon.com/4L60E-Transmis ... 0ZXZFVNCJQ
The assembled fitting looks like this https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1
The line itself looks like this https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1

In your pics #3 and #4, the line retaining clip appears to be missing.

If coolant is leaking from here then you need a radiator, a new clip and the transmission fluid should be flushed out and changed.
Look at the tranny dipstick to see if the fluid has a strawberry milkshake look.
That will tell you there's coolant in the transmission--which needs to be removed asap.

[Stadawim]

Okay. Got some of that. It appears then that the clips have blown off or something and allowed that line to ____ vanish(?). Wherever it went. I got the replacement line already as shown in that third link. And that means i need a new rad too? Alright. I take it the line isn't a simple reconnection?

EDIT: There appears to be no milky composition to the tranny fluid. Nice and straw/raspberry in color. Not even low.

[MKMike]

The line couldn't have vanished if it's connected at the other end to the transmission.
All you have to do is follow the lines with your eyes and see where the other end went to.
The 2 lines are secured together for most of their path from the transmission to the radiator.

Making a determination of what need to be replaced without being able to see the car is always a very tricky proposition.
It's possible that the line dropped down and got snagged by the moving belt, then flung into the radiator or the lower radiator hose, causing one of them to leak.

If the radiator itself is leaking coolant, then you need a new radiator.
Another possibility is that the green fluid you saw was actually air conditioning oil with green dye in it.
This could occur if the transmission line dropped onto the moving belt and then got flung into an air conditioning hose.
The final possibility that comes to mind is that coincidentally a coolant elbow broke at the same time or had already been leaking but just wasn't noticed until the trans line came off.
If you carefully examine the lower radiator hose and find no leaks, then the system should be pressure tested to find where the leak is coming from, if you're certain the fluid you saw was coolant.

If this was my car, I would borrow a radiator pressure tester from Autozone and find out exactly where any coolant leak is coming from before buying any cooling system parts.

BTW, you will have to buy a new clip to hold the line onto the radiator.
There are tools made to remove the lines held in by the Jiffy Tite connectors or some people just pry the clip off.
You don't unscrew the connector, unless you want to replace the entire connector.
If the radiator needs to be replaced, it might or might not have the Jiffy Tite connectors on it already.
This thread shows one type of Jiffy Tite disconnect tool http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 42638.html
I believe the line is 3/8"

[Stadawim]

I appreciate all the assistance!

Yeah, i definitely don't believe in the vanishing either. But it was a mystery. The two lines i pictured at the bottom of the trans case were in fact, eyeballed back. And they were both connected to their proper points. I expected one of them to be the culprit and it wasn't, which is why i posted here to ask.
Oh, i haven't determined anything fully yet. That's why i'm still questioning. The week has been hectic with a visit from the parents and such so there hasn't been a need to use the car, while there also hasn't been any ability to DO anything to it since we keep going places during their visit.
So basically what you're saying then is that even if that line is gone, nothing should spray out of the hole it came from? Apologies for the ignorance, but this has become another point of confusion for me cause i couldn't figure out why the missing line in the rad wouldn't have been shooting coolant out. Especially since the liquid i lost smells and looks like coolant. But i definitely believe it possible that it could/should be tranny fluid since one end goes to the tranny of course!

[MKMike]

Are you saying that the lines are both connected into fittings at the radiator that look like the one missing a line ?
Sorry but it just can't be.
I suspect that your "eyeballing" has mislead you into thinking that the second line is connected when it actually is just wedged tightly.
The only places for the 2 lines to connect to the radiator are into the 2 fittings--the now empty one at the top and the identical one at the bottom.
There are also black plastic pieces at the ends of the lines which may be fooling you into thinking that it's connected.
Take a pic of where each of the lines is connected at the radiator.

To answer your question, when the car runs there should be transmission fluid spraying out of the line and/or the radiator.

[Stadawim]

Okay, so here's the deal.

First off, i've replaced the elbows from way back with the aluminum ones. I also checked those. They are fine.

A pressure check shows that there is in fact, no pressure at the rad right now. Not a good sign of course. But expected because... When the cap came off the rad, a strange bubbling/gurgling sound came from somewhere under the S/C belt tensioner and above the CS pulley. I should also note that the car has been slowly leaking all this time without it having been run. Slow drip from under the oil filter. Appears to be coolant (greenish in color and the smell). Plus the fact the rad level is lower and the trans fluid is not.

Key note - when i got the transmission redone, they gave me a new cooler placed in front of the rad (i told them i wanted a similar setup, but why they elected to go this route i do not know). Pics show:


The two red lines i have 'spray painted' over show the two lines from my previous pix that connect to the bottom of the tranny. This is why i cannot find where the empty line hole should go.

[MKMike]

NOW, it makes perfect sense.
I strongly suspect that your water pump has failed.
If you have an inspection mirror, you should see some coolant coming from the weep hole that is on the underside of the waterpump.
You can also verify this if you have skinny enough fingers to touch the weep hole or else you'll have to get underneath the car to get a look.

[Stadawim]

Indeed! And we had heard that might be the trouble, but we couldn't understand why the line had moved. It does make sense. It is so nice to have spares on hand...