1999 Windstar Trans Flush

[smata67]

From what I gather, it is the lower hose (at the transmission) that needs to be disconnected. I am still a bit confused about how to remove this hose. It looks like there is a clip that must be pried upwards to disengage (with a flat head screwdriver, perhaps?). Then the connector is pushed in and the white tabs squeezed to subsequently pull out and remove?

My plan is to initially drain the pan as best I can with a pump. Then hook up a 3/8" clear hose to the return line disconnected about, mark a gallon container by the quart, and run the car and pour in a quart through the trans fill every time a quart is removed. I have 18 quarts on hand, plan to use about 16.

[olopezm]

That's just about it, you're set!

With this procedure there is no need for an external pump, you can always use the pump in the transmission to pump all of the fluid. If you still choose to use an external pump, make sure you refill with as much fluid as it came out before starting the engine; be careful to keep fluid in the transmission, you don't want to run the pump when it's dry. As soon as the flow becomes uneven, shut the engine. Pumping the fluid out should get you around 4qts. ever time until the pump starts to cavitate.

While the pan is empty, you might want to install a new transmission filter if it hasn't been done in 100k miles.

Oscar.

[northern piper]

I'll just add that the connector on the trans line has always given me problems during removal. I have always (3 times now) simply unscrewed the connector vs using the "quick" disconnect (which is the largest oxymoron this side of jumbo-shrimp). I think the connectors are likely to break when forced which mine seemed to require. If I were you, I'd be simply using a line wrench and undoing the connector. I'm sure that quick connector speeds up the assembly line by 10 or 15 seconds. In my opinion it's a "one time" use type of part.

fwiw, my 2 cents

[smata67]

Yes, I'm concerned about that plastic part and getting the connector off, the job will be a no go if this does not go smoothly. Good tip on removing the fitting instead. I actually have a female with a hose barb on the other end that would just go right on it and make the job easy, because of course, all of this stuff is easy.

I must say that every single plastic connector I took apart when doing the lower intake gasket broke, every fuel injector connection and many others. I used ties to get them back on.

[dhollow2]

I was also unable to get the connector apart doing drain/refills and ended up just unscrewing the fitting. No amount of squeezing the plastic tabs, twisting, or pulling would allow me to remove the cooler line. I realized what I was doing wrong when I changed the transmission and realized that the plastic clip was installed to the transmission side of the fitting on the new transmission and isn't meant to be removed. I had been trying to pull the plastic clip out with the cooler line (My Volvo works like this). Push the line toward the transmission, squeeze the tabs on the plastic clip, pull on the line and it will pop right out.

[GeoClark]

The last sentence is the solution!

[smata67]

I tried pushing in, squeezing clamps, etc and no luck at all. I'm going to spray some liquid wrench on it tomorrow as a last chance before taking to the shop, I really hate paying for something this simple. The avalon has a simple clamp to remove, then pull the hose off. Talk about over engineering.

It seems to me that the fitting to be removed would be the one screwed into the transmission (as opposed to the one with the plastic clips) and that one is absolutely and completely inaccessible. I'm working from topside or underneath without lifting.

The Haynes manual shows the use of a plastic tool like for fuel line removal. This would tend to spread the plastic insert, not compress it.

[smata67]

Okay, mission accomplished! First I have to say that the advice regarding the squeezing of the tabs is misguided and may very well result in that plastic piece cracking and turning this into a big, hairy job. If someone got the line off by squeezing these tabs, they got lucky, that is not how this is suppose to work.

The correct approach is to slip a fuel line disconnect tool in between the white plastic insert and the metal tube so as to spread the tabs, not squeeze them. There is a picture in the Haynes showing the correct procedure. The proper tool is the one for 3/8" fuel lines. It also needs to be thin wall so as to slide in there. There is a "bump" in the metal tubing that is sort of in the way, but you just need to work around it. Also, the little fuel line disconnect tool (fancy name for a little plastic hat with a slit in it) must be pushed all the way in so as to disengage the connection. I used a 7/16" open ended wrench to push it in.

Autocraft Part No AC502 has 6 different tools, the correct one to use is the light blue one which is 3/8". The metal hose actually measures at 10mm, but the 3/8" worked. I would advise getting this exact same kit, because there was another single package tool by another manufacturer that was similar and 3/8", but it appeared to be a little thicker wall and may not work.

Once you get the proper tool, it only takes a minute or two to pop that connection loose.