Clean your radiator!!

[AcuraTech]

Often overlooked as a basic maintenance item, taking a garden hose and hosing down the radiator and evaporator. So many cars come into our shop with what I call "the hairball" - a bunch of dust and dirt built up on the front of the radiator behind the evaporator to the point that it's seriously impeding airflow and cooling.

Next time you work on your car, take a peek at the radiator. If you see any build up hose it off! Even if you can't see anything you'd be surprised how much dirt often comes out.

After cleaning it out the engine temp goes down, the fans run less, and the A/C works better.

 

[Chris142]

Do you mean the condensor?

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: AcuraTech
Often overlooked as a basic maintenance item, taking a garden hose and hosing down the radiator and evaporator. So many cars come into our shop with what I call "the hairball" - a bunch of dust and dirt built up on the front of the radiator behind the evaporator to the point that it's seriously impeding airflow and cooling.

Next time you work on your car, take a peek at the radiator. If you see any build up hose it off! Even if you can't see anything you'd be surprised how much dirt often comes out.

After cleaning it out the engine temp goes down, the fans run less, and the A/C works better.


^^2nd. I do that every time I wash my car.

 

[onion]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Do you mean the condensor?


Yes, he does. Unless, of course, Acura uses a heat-pump.

 

[dorkiedoode]

do we have to take out our bumpers? never done before..

 

[sciphi]

I did this on my Buick LeSabre. A/C has never blown colder. Not like the fans ever turned on much on that beast, though.

 

[Drew2000]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Do you mean the condensor?


No, he means the condenser

 

[JakeR22]

Originally Posted By: dorkiedoode
do we have to take out our bumpers? never done before..


Depends on the car.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: dorkiedoode
do we have to take out our bumpers? never done before..


Good advice, but you don't have to pull anything off the vehicle in most cases. If water flow won't reach it through the grille and air scoops, chances are the air flow hasn't been hitting it too hard either.

Anyway, it's best to "reverse wash" from inside out if you can. I try to do it once a year on all our vehicles.

 

[Kestas]

As long as we're talking about radiators and condensers, I just wanted to insert a note here that for some cars (like many Ford/Mercury products) it helps to add 1/4" hardware cloth behind the grille. This stops the rocks that can take out a condenser. Ever get rocks on your windshield?... well it's much worse the lower you get. Look at all the damage already there on your condenser. Lose a condenser and you could be looking at a $500 repair bill.

 

[Volvohead]

I lost a condenser on a Chrysler to a rock hit, so it happens. An R-12 system to boot. Fortunately, it was right before the freon phase out, and I had some stash, so the cost wasn't catastrophic.

 

[Junior]

Just don't stick the pressure washer in there or you will bend over the fins.

 

[onion]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
I lost a condenser on a Chrysler to a rock hit, so it happens. An R-12 system to boot. Fortunately, it was right before the freon phase out, and I had some stash, so the cost wasn't catastrophic.


I replaced the condensor on an old Peterbilt the other day. He lost it to goose hit.

 

[Volvohead]

A goose hit? Then it was worth every penny.

 

[Patman]

I bought a small compressor so that I could use it to blow air through the rad on my Corvette to clean it out. It had a ton of crud in there after ten years (and 95k) of being on the road!

I was getting coolant temps as high as 255F on hot days when I was stuck in traffic with the AC going. It's still running above 230F, so I do need to clean it some more, but it's definitely a lot better than it was! It's pretty hard to reach all the spots on my rad, it's tucked in there pretty good. I have to put my car up on ramps, lie underneath it and put the air hose through the backside of the two electric fan openings. The better way would be for me to completely remove the rad, but that's a heck of a lot more involved, so I won't do it unless it gets really gunked up.

 

[AcuraTech]

Yeah meant condenser. I get the two words mixed up.

And yeah avoid the pressure washer otherwise you'll end up bending the fins over. That's why a garden hose with a sprayer works well.

 

[dorkiedoode]

can i use my shop vac blower? its about 150mph.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Patman
I bought a small compressor so that I could use it to blow air through the rad on my Corvette to clean it out. It had a ton of crud in there after ten years (and 95k) of being on the road!

I was getting coolant temps as high as 255F on hot days when I was stuck in traffic with the AC going. It's still running above 230F, so I do need to clean it some more, but it's definitely a lot better than it was! It's pretty hard to reach all the spots on my rad, it's tucked in there pretty good. I have to put my car up on ramps, lie underneath it and put the air hose through the backside of the two electric fan openings. The better way would be for me to completely remove the rad, but that's a heck of a lot more involved, so I won't do it unless it gets really gunked up.



255 is too hot. Did you check to see if your fans are working? You should never see more than 230 on that Vette for any long periods of time, also. My fans come on around 228-230 and go off at 212-218.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy



255 is too hot. Did you check to see if your fans are working? You should never see more than 230 on that Vette for any long periods of time, also. My fans come on around 228-230 and go off at 212-218.


Yep, fans are working just fine, in fact I've got custom tuning which turns them on sooner, so my high speed fan comes on at only 200F.

If I'm driving on the highway at a steady speed on a cool morning, it'll stay at 187-190F the entire time, it's only when stuck in traffic for long periods on hot days with the AC on that it got as high as 255. But as I mentioned, it doesn't go that high anymore since I cleaned some of the gunk off the rad. I just need to get a bit more of it off there to bring the temps down even more.

 

[SHOZ]

Good luck trying this on a newer Taurus/Sable. Almost have to take the radiator out.