Clean those radiators and condensers!

[Chris142]

Got a real ac job today. 04 GMC with a diesel. System was empty. There is dye and oil sprayed out behind the high pressure relief valve.

It built up at least 425 psi for that thing to let go. Pressure tested it,replaced the orifice tube,as well as both charge ports.

Pressure tested it with nitrogen @150 psi and sprayed soapy water on all the parts I can access. Did not see anything obvious.

Vacuumed it an hour,shot a couple ounces of oil in it and charged it.

High side was running 375 psi. These trucks don't normally go over 250 psi even on a hot day like we had today.

Fan clutch seemed to be moving well but no real air flow.

Removed the fan shroud and loosened the radiator enough to lean it back to look. Completely packed with road debris from top to bottom and side to side.

Pressure washed it as well as I could without pulling the radiator out. With the shroud out I can easily spray from the fan side and watch the junk run out.

High side is now running 225psi in our 109f heat and is cooling the cab much better.

I'm waiting for the sun to set so that I can look again with my blacklight for any more leak's. If I don't see anything I will run it again tomorrow when it's hot out.

 

[loneryder]

Its hard to get a hose spray in a lot of them. We’ve got the 17 yr cicadas here and they really make a mess. Sprayed my Ford 150 condenser as best I could today.

 

[daves87rs]

That’s a lot of gunk….

 

[Chris142]

Whoop! Spoke too soon. The low side hose is leaking at a crimp. Good thing I waited till dark to go over it with the black light.

 

[clinebarger]

I've had to clean the cooling stack on my LBZ Duramax 3 times now, These huge fans don't mess around when fully locked & really pack the dirt/debris in there.

She starts too creep over 210° on a hot day & I know it's time......Unfortunately for me, LBZ's are a lot more involved than the earlier LB7 & LLY Duramax's.

 

[DemoFly]

Another reason I love my dodges. You just lift the hood and blast em.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

I will be doing mine today / Coolant and Air Conditioner.
I spray the Radiators with a foaming cleaner and use my garden hose attachment,
spraying from the inside towards outside.
The hose attachment is 24 inch long tubing with 90 degree end. Great for getting into tight spaces.

Amazon.com: Radiator Genie - Water & Air Cleaning Wands for High Efficiency Cooling Systems and Radiators - Blow Out / Wash Out Kit : Automotive

Amazon.com: Radiator Genie - Water & Air Cleaning Wands for High Efficiency Cooling Systems and Radiators - Blow Out / Wash Out Kit : Automotive

www.amazon.com

Photo is from last year.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

Its hard to get a hose spray in a lot of them. We’ve got the 17 yr cicadas here and they really make a mess. Sprayed my Ford 150 condenser as best I could today.

Your Solution. / Well worth the money.

Amazon.com: Radiator Genie - Water & Air Cleaning Wands for High Efficiency Cooling Systems and Radiators - Blow Out / Wash Out Kit : Automotive

Amazon.com: Radiator Genie - Water & Air Cleaning Wands for High Efficiency Cooling Systems and Radiators - Blow Out / Wash Out Kit : Automotive

www.amazon.com

 

[alex_at]

I'm currently testing thicker flyscreen in my bumper air inlets to keep dirt out - got that idea from various 4x4 forums, apparently in african regions not uncommon to do.

I have to keep an eye on the temps, it may work as well for slowing down rock impacts....

further testing is needed.


Having the DPF sitting right in the engine bay may be beneficial for DPF regeneration since its sitting near the manifold, but its not beneficial in terms of added heat in the engine bay, pretty sure it affects the condensers ability to exchange heat....

 

[wwillson]

I posted this thread at the RV site a while ago. See how much debris is on the screen after a 600 mile trip. The screen on a GM is simple to install.

Keeping bugs out of your radiator

I tend to keep my vehicles for 150,000+ miles and have had to replace several radiators due to leaks. I can't say for sure what caused the leaks, but I can guess that being clogged with bugs and road debris that get wet and hold moisture contribute to rusting and leaks. Plus, the build up of...

rvthe.us

 

[4WD]

We get lots of bugs … you wash those fins when you see them … and especially when you don’t …
I use the wheel / tire pre soak at the car wash before the pressure cycles …

 

[alex_at]

@wwillson that's exactly what I did. But I installed the net at the front bumper for testing. I believe that it helps not only against bugs, but also to help slow down the impact of small rocks. After only a few thousand miles I saw significant damage on the condenser. Since I installed the net (v1: flyscreen, now v2: thicker flyscreen that's originally supposed to be mounted in window frames to prevent cats from tearing it apart and escaping). Now after a thousand miles I don't see any tearing in the net which I translate as no rock chips coming through.

It does need very very frequent cleaning of bugs though, since it already impacts air flow - so keep it clean to prevent bugs from lowering the air flow further. First testing over a thousand mile testing period didn't indicate any overheating. (At least not on the idiot gauge in the dash). OBD check is the next step.

 

[Nick1994]

I hosed my Jeep's out last July and used some A/C coil cleaner.

 

[Chris142]

Current situation in my garage and the new suction hose I made this morning.

 

[1uz_4me]

As boring as it sounds, I use a long thin pick to get lil pebbles put of the condenser. I do this while the oil is draining. No actual idea how effective it is, but it makes sense in my lil head. AC is pretty darn cold & I rarely have the fan on high...I like it cold too.

 

[sk_pete]

I posted this thread at the RV site a while ago. See how much debris is on the screen after a 600 mile trip. The screen on a GM is simple to install.

Keeping bugs out of your radiator

I tend to keep my vehicles for 150,000+ miles and have had to replace several radiators due to leaks. I can't say for sure what caused the leaks, but I can guess that being clogged with bugs and road debris that get wet and hold moisture contribute to rusting and leaks. Plus, the build up of...

rvthe.us

looks like window bug net. nice
but i thought to make a space between it and rads, so the rads can breathe (at least with help of fan) if the net is packed with dirt.
maybe fixing it to rear of front bumper. this way between net and rads it should be big space a few inches.
however at highway speeds it may get interesting ..

 

[alex_at]

that's why I have mounted mine on the grill in the bumper - on the outside. Easy to clean (which is necessary after every high speed highway run because of bugs).

Temp wise no issues so far

 

[alex_at]

And not only to keep bugs out - I mainly thought about it to prevent rock chips in the condenser, since I have that new 1234 refrigerant which makes refrigerant loss a very expensive thing

 

[sk_pete]

r1234yf... 17x price of r134 !!!

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I avoid that problem by making a screen out of window screen material. Install brass grommets and some closed clips on structure and attach with cable ties. For the grommets, use small backers on each side of grommets. One I am on now has been on five years. Works for me.