are they needed? do you guys use them? my car doesnt have one and they are cheap to get (for that very reason im thinking the last guy had a reason not to get one), so should i get one? or is this just another contributor transmission heat? ALSO i wanted to ask, is it safe to use teflon tape on the nuts that thread into the transmission bellhousing (for the lines running to the radiator)? my car is leaking about a drop a second from the upper nut and it is tightened on there as best as i can tell.

Can't help you on the flywheel cover but those transmission cooling lines are flare fittings. Once they seat they will not leak. You need to tighten them more.

unfortunately, i did try to tighten it some more and it is on there as tight as i can get it... what are these lines called? i figured i'd just as soon replace them, wouldnt be to big of an ordeal. what if i got a transmission cooler, would it replace those lines completely with the new lines provided in the kit? that would be an upgrade i can live with.

I had the same problem as you. The lines were leaking about the same but I couldn't tighten it any more with a open end wrench. I left it for a while and I kept on having to put tranny fluid in because I was getting low.

I finally took out the crossmember to lower the tranny so I could get to the cooling lines better and took some vice grips and just torqued them down. They tightened right up and it stopped the leak.

As for adding the tranny cooler, that would probably be a good upgrade with the new lines.

[This message has been edited by 81ZDan (edited November 01, 2003).]

Get a flaring tool and cut/re-flare the tube ends (they are 5/16" steel tube).

No- the tranny cooler kits might include 4-5' of hydraulic hose to attach to existing rad and end of lines- certainly not enough to run all the way to transmission- and even then you still need a proper sealed tube to attach hose onto.

Flywheel/flexplate "inspection cover" is there to protect anyone under the car while its running and protect the flexplate/flywheel itself from road debris- and more importantly, road debris that might get shot off the spinning plate or torque converter/clutch assembly. Also- it keeps most water from wet roads from getting in/on parts (i.e. a wet clutch or heavily rusted flexplate/flywheel can't be good). It doesn't increase heat inside the transmission at all- all the cooling comes from the pan and the rad/external cooler.