I have a couple of Filtran inline filters I got on Ebay a while ago, so I thought I'd install one on my '97 Crown Vic with 266,500 miles.
Because it's a P71 (cop car), it has an OE aux transmission cooler in front of the radiator.
My plan was to unhook one of the rubber lines from the aux cooler and start the engine to see which one was the feed and which was the return.
I pulled one of the lines off and...you've got to be kidding me...the barb from the aux cooler is still stuck in the hose! It just broke right off.
I decided to get an aftermarket transmission cooler to replace the OE one. I got a Hayden for $30 which is about the same size as the OE one, if not a little bigger. I checked Ebay but nobody was selling any OE transmission coolers for the '97 Crown Vic. Maybe they all break when you try to remove the hoses from them.
I disconnected the other hose and broke the barb off in that one too. I pulled the barb out of both hoses with pliers (which took some doing, they were in tight) and put a 5/16" hose splicer I got at NAPA in both hoses. Then I used some vinyl tubing to extend both hoses--one into a drain pan, the other into an empty 5-quart Mobil 1 jug.
I started the engine and 30 seconds later there was about 1 3/4 quarts of fluid in the Mobil 1 jug and about 1/4 quart of fluid on my driveway because the vinyl tubing didn't make a tight seal. Kitty liter, no problem.
Since the OE cooler also has the power steering cooler in it, I still had to use it so I mounted the aftermarket one in front of it using those plastic ties it came with.
I connected the filter to the feed line (using one of the short hoses it came with), mounted it on the cross-member behind the aux cooler with a couple of tie wraps, ran the output side to the bottom of the aftermarket cooler, connected the return side of the aux cooler (the top) with a loop of hose to keep from violating the 3" max bend radius, and tied that up with a tie-wrap.
I added two quarts of Mercon V and didn't bother to check the fluid level since I knew how much went into the 5-quart jug (it's marked on the side). It was a little under 2 quarts, plus the mess on the driveway, equals about 2 quarts total.
Then I let it idle for several minutes, found a hose clamp that needed a little more tightening, and then took it for a test drive. That's when I found that the OE cooler was still dripping transmission fluid out of the busted-off hose ports. I washed it down with the garden hose and stuck the hose into one of the OE cooler's hose ports and flushed it out with water in hopes of forcing out the rest of the transmission fluid that was still in it so it could stop dripping.
It may be my imagination but I think that the transmission is shifting better. It had an occasional harsh 1-2 shift (when warm) that seems to be getting better.
Because it's a P71 (cop car), it has an OE aux transmission cooler in front of the radiator.
My plan was to unhook one of the rubber lines from the aux cooler and start the engine to see which one was the feed and which was the return.
I pulled one of the lines off and...you've got to be kidding me...the barb from the aux cooler is still stuck in the hose! It just broke right off.
I decided to get an aftermarket transmission cooler to replace the OE one. I got a Hayden for $30 which is about the same size as the OE one, if not a little bigger. I checked Ebay but nobody was selling any OE transmission coolers for the '97 Crown Vic. Maybe they all break when you try to remove the hoses from them.
I disconnected the other hose and broke the barb off in that one too. I pulled the barb out of both hoses with pliers (which took some doing, they were in tight) and put a 5/16" hose splicer I got at NAPA in both hoses. Then I used some vinyl tubing to extend both hoses--one into a drain pan, the other into an empty 5-quart Mobil 1 jug.
I started the engine and 30 seconds later there was about 1 3/4 quarts of fluid in the Mobil 1 jug and about 1/4 quart of fluid on my driveway because the vinyl tubing didn't make a tight seal. Kitty liter, no problem.
Since the OE cooler also has the power steering cooler in it, I still had to use it so I mounted the aftermarket one in front of it using those plastic ties it came with.
I connected the filter to the feed line (using one of the short hoses it came with), mounted it on the cross-member behind the aux cooler with a couple of tie wraps, ran the output side to the bottom of the aftermarket cooler, connected the return side of the aux cooler (the top) with a loop of hose to keep from violating the 3" max bend radius, and tied that up with a tie-wrap.
I added two quarts of Mercon V and didn't bother to check the fluid level since I knew how much went into the 5-quart jug (it's marked on the side). It was a little under 2 quarts, plus the mess on the driveway, equals about 2 quarts total.
Then I let it idle for several minutes, found a hose clamp that needed a little more tightening, and then took it for a test drive. That's when I found that the OE cooler was still dripping transmission fluid out of the busted-off hose ports. I washed it down with the garden hose and stuck the hose into one of the OE cooler's hose ports and flushed it out with water in hopes of forcing out the rest of the transmission fluid that was still in it so it could stop dripping.
It may be my imagination but I think that the transmission is shifting better. It had an occasional harsh 1-2 shift (when warm) that seems to be getting better.
