99 S70 Base. Bad decision with aftermarket Radiator

[tryingbe]

I tried dremel and it took forever, I gave up and removed the tubes and cut the clamps outside the car with angle grinder.

[ashlee2319]

Dremel works, just needed the correct cut wheel. Only problem I'm running into is prying off the metal sleeves after they've been cut. Ran out of time though before work..attempting again later.

[erikv11]

I would just remove the hoses from the car. Then everything will be straightforward.

[Redneck]

This is what cn90 did and everyone here including myself thought it was a great idea to save money on the OE hoses. He used Oeitker clamps instead. While they maybe better (or not) than these clamps it may also be a bad idea. I took cn90 advice and bought the parts to do the same thing, but I haven't done it yet fortunately. Seeing this, I will buy brand new Volvo OEM trans cooler lines when my original ones begin to leak. I always use either OE or OEM parts and never ever have any problems with my repairs. Volvo tests their parts for what they are designed for. Most cheap alternatives and shortcuts end badly and the poor man always pays 10 times more later on and gets stranded on the freeway. I see it often in this forum. It is also a common sense. Now, I am thinking.. Oeitker clamps will expand with increased temperature and it may cause a leak. That leak will lubricate the hose around the perimeter of the metal pipe that it is on and it will slide off with very little pressure in the system spilling transmission oil all over the engine causing FIRE?? I can see a day coming when it will be illegal to work on your own cars unless the repair is later inspected and certified.

It may be argued that PCV uses Oeitker clamps and they don't slide off even with some pressure in the crankcase. PCV rubber hose bakes itself onto the engine port unlike the trans cooler line that carries oil that will eliminate friction when gets in between the rubber hose and metal pipe - It may slide off as the clamp expands with high temperature. Cam seals are not baked into the engine body. When they get enough lubricant around, they get pushed out with PCV pressure. Don't they? Isn't it what causes them to leak? At the minimum, the oil begins to make its way through the seals.

The systems in cars are designed by Engineers that use over 100 years of auto industry experience and science. Introducing alternatives to professional engineering designs is very risky.

[abscate]

I think we figured out there is almost no pressure in the ATF lines. Hose clamps and the correct type of hose will work fine.

[Redneck]

Volvo engineers have figured out that there is enough pressure, temperature and lubrication to justify permanently crimped hose. Replacing the original design with a weaker hose connection may result in the hose sliding off the metal pipe and spilling the transmission fluid everywhere. If that is not what you want, stick with the original Volvo design and purchase OE hose that was manufactured to engineering specification and tested in this particular application.

The more experimental fixes and aftermarket parts are in your car, the less reliable it becomes.

While I am tempted to use the cn90 method with Oeitker clamps one day because I have already bought the parts, I know that this is not the best idea and I will always be worried about that fix. I may not do it.

[abscate]

It's always safer to use OEM parts, agreed. One of the many values these pages and Fora bring are the experience of others with alternate paths which can save 100-1000s of dollars.

[ashlee2319]

I had success with the trans cooler hoses!

But, now I have a nice little coolant leak. Could this be coming from the barbed coupler? Maybe because it's not tightened enough?

[tryingbe]

Coolant leak from where?

[ashlee2319]

It looked like it was coming from the top trans cooler connection, but that doesn't make sense. I filled my reservoir and took it for a drive then checked it when I came home and the level didn't drop nor did I see any leaks. Will check tomorrow to be sure.