V70: Gearbox Auto transmission cooler line replacement

[NAD]

Unfortunately I broke down on my way home last night and had to be recovered by the AA.

Looking under the bonnet I could see ATF everywhere around the nsf of the engine bay. A little internet digging on here and poking and prodding under the bonnet and I found that one of the upper pipes had come off the transmission cooler.
I’ve seen guides on how to drain and refill the ATF, but I’d like to know if it is feasible to replace the lines myself. Can anyone tell me if this is something I could hope to achieve on my drive, without a ramp?

Or should I just refit the line, refill with ATF and take it to a garage for the job to be done properly? Or just get it recovered to the garage?

Is it likely to have done any permanent damage?

[bananarama]

Replacing the pipes and ATF sounds feasible as long as you have: tools, time, space and knowledge. Give it a go! If it doesn't work out you can always take it to the dealership, right?

[Simmy]

why not give a shout out for some one to help . there are lots of enthusiastic home mechanics out there in the Volvo community also ask on the volvo facebook groups or call a mobile mechanic.. lots of options to consider . its probably better not to drive it with this problem a failed auto box is an expensive replacement.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by NAD

Unfortunately I broke down on my way home last night and had to be recovered by the AA.

Looking under the bonnet I could see ATF everywhere around the nsf of the engine bay. A little internet digging on here and poking and prodding under the bonnet and I found that one of the upper pipes had come off the transmission cooler.
I’ve seen guides on how to drain and refill the ATF, but I’d like to know if it is feasible to replace the lines myself. Can anyone tell me if this is something I could hope to achieve on my drive, without a ramp?

Or should I just refit the line, refill with ATF and take it to a garage for the job to be done properly? Or just get it recovered to the garage?

Is it likely to have done any permanent damage?

It can be done without a ramp, but the lines are in a tight spot and the lines themselves can be tight or even rusted on. I know one end of your line came off, but the other end could be "fun" to get off.

You need to jack the car up as high as possible and have a decent set of jack stands to stand a chance (never trust a jack on its own).

The question is why did the line come off. It sounds to me like the clamp holding it failed, or there was no clamp in the first place. Do you really need to replace the lines (are they damaged)? It sounds to me like you need to put the line back on that failed, properly. I don't see why you need to replace all the lines just because one end came off.

If you have general experience, then go ahead and do it. If you don't (which is fine), let the professionals do it or even get a mobile mechanic, as simmy mentioned above. Don't drive the car until its fixed ideally, or if you do, make sure the transmission fluid is filled and the pipe is secured the best you can until you get it to a garage. Definitely don't do any long distance driving or anything at higher speed.

As for damage, it would have to lose a significant amount of fluid to cause serious problems (I'm talking litres of it). The transmission itself holds a lot of fluid, which can't be drained anyway without removing the transmission from the car (draining the transmission doesn't remove all the fluid). There's still some inside the torque converter and other areas, which simply isn't drainable with a transmission still in place.

[NAD]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

The question is why did the line come off. It sounds to me like the clamp holding it failed, or there was no clamp in the first place. Do you really need to replace the lines (are they damaged)? It sounds to me like you need to put the line back on that failed, properly. I don't see why you need to replace all the lines just because one end came off.

I got the impression from reading articles that the aluminium ring on the spigot of the cooler gets worn over time, along with the plastic clip on the hose, due to vibration. I heard that if they have come off once, they have a tendency to do it again.

Originally Posted by Kev0607

As for damage, it would have to lose a significant amount of fluid to cause serious problems (I'm talking litres of it). The transmission itself holds a lot of fluid, which can't be drained anyway without removing the transmission from the car (draining the transmission doesn't remove all the fluid). There's still some inside the torque converter and other areas, which simply isn't drainable with a transmission still in place.

That’s very good to hear! Thank you for your confidence inspiring words.