P38A Oil Cooler Pipe removal

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ukadamwest

ukadamwest

Well-Known Member
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Location
Surrey
Getting around to finishing off the P38 front cover, which turned into soma additional things, as always, the gearbox oil cooler was leaking, so due to be replaced. of course LR in their wisdom use steel unions on an ally cooler, result, the thread snapped off in the union.

have the new pipe all set to go in.. however, its the top pipe on the gearbox (return) anyone have any tought how to access the union. its a 19mm spanner and I felt like gynaecologist trying to get my hands in there. I can get a spanner on, but there is no scope to get a turn on. I cracked it off, the only thing I think of is a 19mm stubby spanner.. anyone any ideas ?

once this is done, its a coolant flush, new front discs rear UJ's and top up on fluids. new brake accumulator went on today. nearly there.. just this pipe access holding me up !

workshop manual says 'undo unions' yeah right ! is there a method.. something I am missing ? stubby spanner ?
 
Cut a 19mm spanner in half and weld a socket on it.

Pikey? Yes..

Works? sometimes.

Has worked for me, was on a Gems 4.0 though.
 
Bought a set of stubby spanners. no dice. there isn't the space between the union and gearbox bell casing to get a spanner on from underneath. can get it on from above the selector mechanism but from there can't get an arm in there to turn it. can tap the spanner around with a bar onto the spanner, but that is pointless as I'll not be able to do the new union up.

As per the previous posts. Have a set of flare / open ended ring spanners on the way courtesy of Amazon prime.

Dropping the cross member or the prop shaft or other items isn't going to work. The casing blocks an open spanner on one side and the selector mechanism blocks the turn on the other.

Oh how the engineers must have laughed at when it was built. along with blend motors, heater matrix and exhaust manifold lower bolt on number 8.
 
RangeRoller dt said:
Take a picture for us. I doubt I could even get me hand up there
Click to expand...


cant even get a cleat camera pic with the propshaft and exhaust cats in place but the bugger is the union marked 31 here

oil cooler pipe Capture.JPG
 
Is the leak actually from that union? Mine is leaking around the crimped pipe in the engine bay so I've wondered if it was possible to just change that end of the pipe without having to do the gearbox end (which I took one look at and knew it was beyond me to do). I haven't measured it yet but wondered if a compression coupler of some sort would do it?
And any pipe joint crimpers that I've seen would certainly not fit under the bonnet.
 
They illustrate it as bolt off bolt on but replacing will be a job if access is too tight to get it off. You may need to lower the box to get to it

@plumbfisher - I have seen people connect onto the pipes, doing away with just the leaky part. You may find the threads in search bar as that’s where I’d have read them from before i signed up.
 
plumbfisher said:
Is the leak actually from that union? Mine is leaking around the crimped pipe in the engine bay so I've wondered if it was possible to just change that end of the pipe without having to do the gearbox end (which I took one look at and knew it was beyond me to do). I haven't measured it yet but wondered if a compression coupler of some sort would do it?
And any pipe joint crimpers that I've seen would certainly not fit under the bonnet.
Click to expand...


no the leak isn't from that union, the leak was from the cooler, however, Lr in their wisdom used steel unions on an ally cooler, the thread broke off in the union. thus new pipe !
 
ukadamwest said:
no the leak isn't from that union, the leak was from the cooler, however, Lr in their wisdom used steel unions on an ally cooler, the thread broke off in the union. thus new pipe !
Click to expand...

A few cycles of heat and quench then a Plus gas soak after last heat often does the trick on this type of union. Once movement is felt further Plus gas and a to and fro motion on the nut works wonders. Reassemble with Copaslip.
 
wammers said:
A few cycles of heat and quench then a Plus gas soak after last heat often does the trick on this type of union. Once movement is felt further Plus gas and a to and fro motion on the nut works wonders. Reassemble with Copaslip.
Click to expand...

I cracked off the union and got to turn a 1/4. After the turn there's no space to get a spanner on to turn. open ring spanner set arrived today. I'll try with that next weekend. if not I'll drop the prop the exhaust, remove the engine, and open the sunroof

EAS works fine though !
 
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