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YOUR RESEARCHpressure washing rads
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Run clear
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Read evidence and context
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Once I have all the trash removed then I doused the area with some cleaner and used water to rinse and flush the area until the water ran clear.
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In the past 15+ years I've used power washers on radiators, I've never damaged a radiator (or condenser).
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Once I have all the trash removed then I doused the area with some cleaner and used water to rinse and flush the area until the water ran clear.
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Suggestion
Otherwise when the bumper cover is re installed you will not be able to see anything to check their work.
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Suggestion
Considering the cost of a new radiator (or two, or three in the case of my Turbo) and the cost of new condensers a good initial cleaning of this area followed by periodic cleanings using compressed air is money saved.
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Suggestion
Considering the cost of a new radiator (or two, or three in the case of my Turbo) and the cost of new condensers a good initial cleaning of this area followed by periodic cleanings using compressed air is money saved.
Use stiff bristle brush (plastic bristles not a wire brush)
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Suggestion
I vacuumed out all the trash/gunk carefully using a stiff bristle brush (plastic bristles not a wire brush) to loosen up the stuff that was hard and caked.
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Rennlist: 1 discussions
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does anybody know if it's ok to wash the side and front radiator with a pressure washer to get all the gunk out?
there seems to be a lot of debris in my rads and my next mod is going to be a screen for all 3 openings in the bumper as it sees the track quite a bit....
anybody ever washed them like this?
See this post:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...hose-rads.html
I think you're better off using a vacuum cleaner (with a long nozzle) if you don't want to take apart the rad assemblies.
I don't recommend a pressure washer. With +1200psi, you can easily damage or punch a hole in the condensers. Removing the bumper cover is very easy, I did mine without lifting the car. Then used garden hose to wash out the radiators. Total time maybe 2 hours.
Based on my experience with two cars the radiator areas are not open at the bottom. All you will succeed in doing is washing all the gunk to the bottom of the radiator duct where it will then lay and remain damp and corrosive.
The only time I have washed that area, that hardware, is with the bumper cover off and the A/C condensor unbolted and carefully swung out of the way.
I vacuumed out all the trash/gunk carefully using a stiff bristle brush (plastic bristles not a wire brush) to loosen up the stuff that was hard and caked.
Once I have all the trash removed then I doused the area with some cleaner and used water to rinse and flush the area until the water ran clear.
For the last several years whenever the cars are in for service I always ask the tech to blow out the trash or if in his opinion the trash is too bad to remove that by a shop vacuum or by compressed air to remove the bumper cover and do more thorough and direct cleaning.
Screening these openings will I fear give you a false sense of security. While the big light fluffy pieces of trash are kept out the dirt, sand, smaller pieces are not. Without the fluffy stuff to sort of keep the stuff light and well fluffy the smaller particles will collect, compact, cake and turn into something that won't come out with a vacuuming or a blast of air. And remain sort of out sight until too late.
I pulled the front bumper
Unbolted the radiators
Vacumned the radiators
Sprayed with 409 type cleaner and used garden hose to clean
I did this all in 3 hours and really took my time
No jacking no special tools
That's about right. The most time consuming part is noting the type and location of each fastener and how the bumper cover fits with the other panels. I draw a diagram and take pics.
Techs tell me they can always tell when the bumper cover has been disturbed. The wrong screws are in the wrong locations, screws/fasteners are missing, the bumper cover and panels are not lined up/overlapped properly, etc.
Since I no longer have a place to work on my cars I had the dealer service department remove the bumper cover of each car a couple of years ago and do a thorough cleaner. Since then I ask the radiator areas be blown out every service and so far that has kept the trash from building up. It helps the area where I live and drive most of the time receives so little rain most of the year so the stuff stays dry and loose.
Considering the cost of a new radiator (or two, or three in the case of my Turbo) and the cost of new condensers a good initial cleaning of this area followed by periodic cleanings using compressed air is money saved.
thx for all the replies guys.... I managed to clean out all the gunk by sticking my hand in there while wearing gloves and pulling out about a grocery back worth of stuff... WOW! I can't believe how much stuff is in there... the front bumper openings are pretty flexible and bend without breaking... the main reason I want to install mesh in front of the openings is to prevent high speed rubber marbles and rocks during track days as that can really smash up the rads....
If thats all you've done your
Missing the point of many replies
If you don't remove front bumper
You can not clean the compacted soil that is in the radiator coils and that's what
Causing corrosion and prevents cooling
I hear you loud and clear.... I'll get my shop to do this cause they can do it in 1 hour flat they've done it so many times... yes behind the rads are probably still dirty and loaded with stuff so that's on the to do list but I wouldn't do it myself...
In that case, could have saved yourself the hassle of doing anything. All that you've removed from the radiators would have fallen out when the mechanic pulled the bumper cover. There is nothing wrong for a mechanic to do this as long as they clean the radiators really well. The only way to be sure for that is to watch them do it. Otherwise when the bumper cover is re installed you will not be able to see anything to check their work. The problem with this is that it takes less time to do this at home than to drive to the shop, watch them do the work and then drve back home. As you can see, having a mechanic do this job is not really a time saver.
I hope your mechanic moves the radiators and condensers apart because that's where a lot of crap gathers. I was going to post a video from YouTube on how to do the procedure, but you prefer to pay someone to do it for you, so I wont bother.
Out of curiosity, how exactly would a pressure washer hurt the radiators?
In the past 15+ years I've used power washers on radiators, I've never damaged a radiator (or condenser). I have flaked paint off body panels while pressure washing though.
I've blown out rows of fins from between the cooling tubes. After that the structural integrity of the oval tubes was gone and they blew up to a round shape. Shortly after that the tubes bursted.
wow! I have never heard of that before. I understand why you wouldn't continue it.
I would take a power washer to my H1's radiators frequently (and at close range from the sides) because they would literally be covered in mud and since they lie at about a 60 degree angle there was often debris sitting on, or wedged between them.
I'll keep spraying away until It happens to me. If it does, I'll come in here and complain about it.
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