Lisle 39960 Ford Transmission Oil Cooler Line Disconnect Set

Late-model Ford transmission oil cooler lines use a spring-lock quick-connect at the radiator that will not budge with a standard fuel-line tool. There is a plastic safety clip and an internal split ring sitting right up against the fitting, and unless you spread that ring evenly you end up crushing the line or cracking the brittle connector. This is the two-piece Lisle set built for exactly that job. It is the aftermarket equivalent of the Ford factory tool 307-441 (Lisle covers it under patent 7,350,282).

The set gives you two stepped scissor tools. Use the 3/8 inch size on 2003-and-later Ford Explorer V8, 2004-and-later F150, and Cadillac CTS. Use the 1/2 inch size on Ford Super Duty trucks, the F250, F350, and F450. The tip is stair-stepped so it clears the flange on the cooler line and seats squarely inside the coupler, which is the detail cheaper flat tools miss.

To use it, hose down the fitting with penetrant to clear grit, close the tool around the line, and push it firmly straight into the coupler. That drives the split ring off the raised bump on the line and into its recess in the fitting. Hold steady inward pressure to keep the ring parked while you pull the line free with your other hand. Do not twist hard on rusted lines or the connector can crack. This is the tool you need for an external transmission filter change or a cooler-line R&R on these trucks.