What did I hook my tow rope to? Its leaking oil now.

Cougarfetish

Registered User
Hey guys, nice to meet you, I'm an idiot.

So I hastily hooked my dead cougar (90 xr7) up to tow it down my gravel driveway. Like an idiot, I hooked the rope up to this nice metal loop from under the front bumper where there's an access cutout.

This loop did not hold up well when towing from it. This loop broke off very easily. This missing loop is leaking oil now.

Can anyone tell me what I just broke so I can tell the guy I was about to sell it to? Its to the passenger side of the radiator and you can see the loop (oil line, not a tow loop :)) from under the front bumper.

Thanks, and hope you enjoyed a few yucks at my expense
 
Judging from pics online. It looks a lot like one of the loops that goes through the trans cooler.

This is a dead cougar that I was hoping to sell as is. What can I do? Would jb weld hold that piece of tubing back on? Can you delete the trans cooler? Can you weld on a little piece of metal tubing like that? Or is the only option replacing the part.

Thanks again all.
 
From your description, it sounds to me like the power steering cooler, not the trans cooler, and if that is the case, you can delete it with some hose and clamps. The trans cooler is in the radiator, and I think you would have a hard time reaching those lines, and if you did, they definitely wouldn't look like anything you could pull the car from.
 
If you grabbed on the front pass. side, I agree...most likely the power steering cooler.

FYI, there are token tie-down plates front/rear. Front is on driver's side, rear is on passenger side.


You can see the front if you turn the wheels hard left and look inside the left front wheelwell on the body rail - problem is it sits high and even if you get a hook on it, the rope/chain will tension against the nose plastics. The plates aren't very thick and appear to have been installed more for original shipping/used as tie-downs, from the factory to the dealers. The rear also sits high and risks the tail plastics/GFX. I made a template for a direct pull tow plate that bolts to the stock rear plate and extends out thru the slots in the rear GFX, not below the entire cover.


If I had to drag an SC out of the mud, I'd get a hold on either front strut/angled cross bar at the body...they are fairly beefy, but can be damaged with enough force, I guess.
Tow_hook_SCrt_rear.jpg
 
That appears to be the power steering cooler. You can replace it pretty easily with a good used one. I think the thunderbirdscshop has one.
 
Update: Thanks again everyone, sold the car today to the guy. He was ok with what broke, so I was appreciative I knew what to tell him.

I'll miss the board, but I turned the buyer onto this place.

The XR7 will have a special place in my heart forever.

Cheers all.
 
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