Howdy,

So on my way to work today, every hill I hit, the car would jump in and out of third gear (from fourth) more than I have ever noticed. Pulling into the parking lot, the (I believe) torque converter would engage/disengage making the car act like a 15 year old driving a stick (very jumpy/not smooth engagement). I had to run into work, so I did not have a chance to check the fluid. This is on a 1991 740 GL with just under 200k.

I read through some other threads and it seems the most common problem low fluid. Are there any other possible culprits I can question? Thanks!!

 

Yup...check the fluid.

 

So, I was definitely out of fluid.. Can someone please explain to me how the transmission cooler works within the radiator? Is it just a super thin line/heat exhanger that runs within the radiator?

Essentially, when flushing my radiator, I removed the lower hose and a fitting just above it (which I imagine is one of the transmission cooler lines). Apparently when I fastened the fitting and hose back on, I stripped the transmission cooler line and lost it that way...

Thanks!

 

You have a fitting near the top and near the bottom of the radiator side tank. There is a tube inside this side tank which is in the coolant. The water cools the tube. The transmission tubes are low pressure lines. You have maybe 3-4 choices here. Try to fix the stripped thread if it is on the transmission line . Disconnect the lines and get a small transmission cooler and hook it up. Replace the radiator and last disconnect the 2 trans. lines and hook them together with a rubber hose and a few hose clamps. If you have the brass tanks you could solder in a new fitting but if you have the plastic tanks then you are SOL.