Transmission cooler leak

[pfroo40]

I just bought a used 2011 Rogue AWD SL and noticed shortly after purchase that it is leaking transmission fluid out of what I believe is the outlet of the cooler (the bottom hose). It looked pretty worn, and I wanted to change the fluid anyway, so I ordered a replacement bottom hose, drained the fluid, swapped the hoses. I did notice a decent amount of whitish buildup around the metal spout coming out of the cooler, so I cleaned that up to hopefully get better contact with the surface of the inside of the hose. Filled the transmission up to just over half between L and F on dipstick (planning to run to temp and check, fill more if needed).

But, after starting, I noticed it is still leaking a bit. Less than before. Only about a drip per minute at idle. It oozes from the inside of the hose. There are no other visible leaks, fins are all good. I'd prefer to not replace the cooler itself (though it is pretty cheap just don't want to deal with those damn hoses again, or lose $$ fluid).

I'm thinking a tighter clamp might take care of it, if maybe the metal just corroded over time so the spout is just a little thinner or less smooth of a surface? I did sand it a bit when cleaning it but still wasn't perfectly smooth.

What clamp would work best to try that route? I've heard fuel injector clamps are good for a tighter seal without risk of damaging the hose, like a standard screw clamp might? Is there a sealant I can put in the hose that makes contact to the cooler to seal it? Or, should I just bite the bullet and replace the cooler?

[Rogue Jarhead]

Are you sure the spout does not have a crack in it? If this was mine and I thought the clamp needed to be tighter I'd use a standard screw clamp.

[pfroo40]

I'm pretty sure there is no crack, it looked solid, and after I saw it was still leaking I wiggled the hose a bit back on the spout and it leaked at the same rate. Not from the weld where the spout meets the hose, but from inside the hose. Thanks for the tip though, I will double check just in case!

[ImStricken06]

I'D GET A BASIC ADJUSTABLE HOSE CLAMP, AND SCREW IT TIGHT! IF ITS STILL LEAKING, THEN I THINK THERE IS A CRACK SOMEWHERE.

[pfroo40]

SOLVED: Just in case anyone happens to run across this and is interested, my leak was fixed by using screw clamps as suggested which provided a tighter seal around the hose. These are the ones I bought, which worked great: Size 6 Worm Gear Hose Clamps, 1/2" Band Size, Min Dia 7/16", Max Dia 25/32"

Thanks both for the replies!

[Rogue Jarhead]

Glad that's all it took to fix it. Good job.