Hello, gents. It's been a while since I've been on here but I've got a pretty bad problem and I'm in the market for all the advice I can get before I decide what to do.

To make a long story short, the threads in the housing where the transmission cooler line meets the transmission are stripped. This is apparently the fault of the last person to bolt the line on; I noticed it was leaking from there and when I tried to tighten the bolt, I loosened it first and now it just spins in place and won't tighten at all. For some reason I did start the car with it in this condition and fluid poured out as if I'd turned on a faucet. I'd say something like a pint came out in the 15-or-so seconds it ran.

I don't know if the cooler line meets up with the tranny in the same place on all the various w123-era M-B transmissions that are out there; on mine it's in the vicinity of the modulator. Unfortunately it's up high enough that a solution like a helicoil would require the transmission to be removed. By the way, the line is held on with a union bolt.

A helicoil would theoretically work, but this involves drilling, I think, and transmisssions don't really like lots of little metal shavings, do they? So this solution gives me pause.

I have purchased some Permatex stuff, similar to J-B Weld, that could rec-create the threads. It says it can hold up to temperatures above 300 F, and to the best of my knowledge tranny fluid gets to something like 180 F (so says the owner's manual). If I did try this, and this is an 'if' at this point, I would also use some sort of sealent on the outside in an effort to minimize the impact should the stuff fail. I do wonder what kind of pressure exists in this line when the car is running, though.

If anyone has experience with an issue similar to this, I'd sure love to hear about it.

And one more thing, before you lambaste me for even considering a glue-type solution, bear in mind that I don't really have the capability to drop the tranny myself and that this could cost me an awful lot of money.

Thanks in advance.

__________________
Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...