Autumn leaves & radiators... question

I've read in a few places that leaves sucked in through the front spoiler can bung up and damage the radiators that sit behind it. I've seen suggestions of taking the bumper off and fitting mesh to prevent this. I'm not handy with spanners so would need to get this done by an Indy. In the meantime, I was out for a drive today. It was windy with leaves blowing everywhere and I noticed that the grills of most cars coming towards me were covered in them. It got me wondering what my car was sucking in. Anyway, when I got home I got our cordless Dyson out with a long bendy nozzle and put it into the vents on the front spoiler - out came a bunch of leaves. Until I get a chance to have mesh fitted is it a good idea to regularly vacuum the leaves & crud out?

Yes.

If you can operate a screwdriver you can remove the front PU. To properly clean it all out you need to unbolt the condensers and move them aside to get at the rads... a lot of crud gathers around and between them. There are some good how to's on YouTube if you feel adventurous...

They still need cleaning regularly, I gave mine a full overhaul last year, I redid the mesh, radiators loosened cleaned and treated but I had an advisory after my service on Friday of 'debris in the radiator ducts' so I'll have to do them again soon.

My 997 is a garaged low use weekender so covers minimal miles per month but as a routine the long hoover nozzle is in there every 2-3 weeks , probably overkill through summer but definitely do it this time of year . At the same time i spray liberal amounts of Wd40 on the bottom of the rads for added protection as its generally the bottom that corrodes first . I don't want the mesh grills fitted , i don't like them so figure the above is the solution for me

Here's a DIY option - https://www.zunsport.com/en/porsche-grilles/porsche-carrera-996-manual-outer-grille-set?filter=201

I'd imagine something like ACF50 will provide more protection than WD40 but be equally easy to apply.

I'd agree with the above on the ACF50 :thumb: I hoovered mine out a few Months ago and the problem wasn't so much leaves it was gravel, over time the small pieces had accumulated at the bottom of the condenser and created a miniature sand drift, when Fred hoovered then up the bottom fins were rotten away and soon became black and wet with the dye. I'd say there must have been half a pound wedged at the back of the tray up against the ally fins, I've got the open mouth of the aero body kit so maybe this accentuates the collection, that and the previous owner must have liked driving really close to the car in front ?

Zunsport are fine but expensive. The real 'DIY' solution is to take off the front bumper (fairly easy) and screw black mesh to the back of the intakes, it's very unobtrusive then, barely noticeable from the front of the car. As other say, some crap will always get in so it is still worth taking the front off from time to time to keep everything clean.

I've found these useful to fish out the worst of the leaves between bumper off cleaning sessions. They're also good for retrieving dropped bolts, washers etc from hard to reach places. https://www.medisave.co.uk/instrapa...OrshXn-Wjadh97mXbyikRvZsPGUeBhfUaAqntEALw_wcB

This is absolutely true. Don't take for granted how much accumulates between the rads, that you can't see until taking them apart. This is the stuff that rots rads.

Did mine for about 25 pound, mesh and a tube of tiger seal.

Thanks for all the comments. All very helpful. I'll keep vacuuming until I get a chance to do something more permanent. In the meantime, looks like I'm off the road with a bust alternator. Just working out what to do with that!

A C4 is far worse for this than a C2 due to the angle of the radiators .. in both cases leaves .. dirt collects in the far corners .. this holds moisture .. water against metal over a long period rots the metal whether its ally or steel . On a service we use an airline to blow out as much as possible but this will never get it all out . The debris can and does collect between the a/c condenser and the rad and slows the airflow .. it won't as such cause an overheat but it will increase the running temps .. often why when stuck in traffic the temp increases .. debris and as not moving = a lack of airflow through the rads . Ducting is an excellent idea and stops a lot of these issues .. you still need to keep an eye on it though .. dirt is too small to be stopped by grills . The best way .. pu off , a/c condenser undone and pulled forward and hoover / blow out the debris that's collected . That will last you a long while depending on where you drive the car .

Interesting to hear that grot still accumulates even if mesh is fitted. Another project for the off-season...