2006 Taurus - Transmission Cooler Tube leak

Hello All,

I have a 2006 Ford Taurus SE. I detected a leak in the transmission fluid cooler tubes, which seem to be made out of metal. If you search on http://fordparts.com, the Ford Part Numbers are 7C410 and 7B028.

After I turn the car on, transmission fluid starts to immediately pool between the 2 tubes at the horizontal part perpendicular to the floor, close to where a slight slope starts that eventually takes them toward the radiator. It drips at a nice clip.

I really hope someone can help me with the following items.


Questions:

1. I looked at this from the top and the bottom, and the leak seems to be right in between the 2 tubes that seem to touch each other. I would like to replace only 1 tube if I can help it (money reasons). How can I tell which one of the tubes is leaking, without having to remove them?


2. There are 3 parts with part number 7C410. Their descriptions on fordparts.com are the only difference:


with auxillary cooler; Radiator to auxillary cooler
3.0L Vulcan - without auxiliary cooler
3.0L Modular - without auxiliary cooler

In case this is the part I need, what's the best way to tell which one of those 3 above I really need?


3. How dangerous would it be to drive the car without the plastic cover that is under the radiator? The fluid drips onto that and then moves to the left and right, eventually going all over the place.


4. Will I also have to replace the hose clamps, inlet and outlet hoses, etc? (parts 7A031, 7A030, etc.)


5. Finally, is there a good online procedure for replacing these tubes? I tried searching and could not find one.


Thanks all for your help! I sincerely appreciate it.

Best,
JPG.

PS. I have a video of the leak but it doesn't really help; the quality is poor and you can't see much.