jlburdge

DIY repair for A/C condenser trans oil cooler unit leak:::::: After noticing a leak in our 2008 Ford Excape (as shown in this forum) and seeing the cost of repairs for it not being under warantee by Ford. I decided to fix it myself...... Following is Repair procedure for DIY. First, it is easier for you if front of car is up on ramps, but not necessary. You will need; 1) Acraglass GEL, a 2-part epoxy GEL from Brownell's (a gunsmith supply house- they have 2 kinds of acraglass, make sure you order the gel). 2) paint stripper 3) water hose w/ soap dispencer nozzle and some car washing soap. 4)degreaser in-a-can. 5) A 1 or 2" putty knife. 6) a rag or old towell. First remove grile, If you can't do this without instructions forget the rest and just go to a repair shop and spend the big bucks required for repairs. Remove the 2 top condenser/trans cooler retaining bolts and place a wooded wedge behind the condenser at top left corner (bolt mounting hole) so as to bring some space between it and the radiator. Place a rag in front of and over the radiator, left hand side, as you are looking at it. This will keep debre from getting on rad. Next degrease the cooler and wash dirt away from leaking area, Get it clean!. Now apply paint stripper to leaking area (an area apx. 4" wide x 8" high -end tube/mount also) and allow time for stripper to work. We need the paint to be gone here. After that use a tooth brush to get all loose paint off and then neturalize/get rid of the stripper with soap and water. Allow cond/cooler time to dry. Mix acraglass on a board, or anything handy. you will need apx. a cup of mixed material for repairs ( It mixes 1:1 and mix it for 2 min.). Using a 1" or 2" narrow putty knife force the mixed glass into OIL cooler top to bottom and the first 2 horizontal runs of the A/C condenser (you can tell the trans cooler from the A/C cond. by the width of the horizontal cooling runs). Patched area will be apx 2 or 3" wide x 6 or 8" top to bottom, front and back, and also cover the end rib of the cooler and a part of the bolt mount. (you want to encase the whole leaking area with epoxy glass). You can smooth out the glass before it "kicks over" (cures) with spit and a finger or two. The epoxy will take 24 hours to fully cure. When finished with cure you may paint it flat black. I cut 2" length x 3/8" fuel hose into 4 pieces, drilled a small hole in each piece and used them to re-mount cond/cooler with the the 2 bolts. Just to allow for vibration which I think is the reason for the leak in the first place. You could use rubber washers, I just didn't have any on hand. If longer machine bolt/screws are needed, go to hardware store and get you a couple @ 1 1/2" long, they're not expensive. Replace the grile and you're finished with repair. Total actual time working is maybe 2 hours (drying/glass cure time doesn't count) . My repair was made several thousand miles ago and is still holding up and total cost was less than $50.00. You be a smilin" now. larryb.