The importance of a CLEAN radiator

[vigman]

I know this has been written about before.. BUT~

Hey guys.. I was starting to have a running hot issue in my 88 Vert
( just a late summer reminder)...

I went and bought a NEW radaitor off E bay ( 120.00 + shipping )..

But when I went to install it the radiator wasn't the problem at all.

It was the 1/2 trashcan of shredded junk trapped behind the condenser melted into the front of the radiator..

It took me 45 minutes to get the area clean enough to put the new radiator in..

No it not a stretch of reality.. there was that much STUFF trapped, buried, wedged, nested... and everything from newspaper,leaves, twigs, bird feathers, string, styrofoam packing peanuts PLUS a carrige bolt.

Here's the deal.. the AC condenser is 1 inch shorter ( 1/2 on top & bottom ) than the radiator.. allowing debris to go over or under the condeser getting shredded as it flys by.. into nice juilan fries to clog your ariflow.

I estimate I was using less than 30 % or the radiators surface area!

I cleaned the stuff out .. put the new radiator in.. and DROPPED 20 DEGREES in cooling.. 205 is as HOT as I can get her.. with the A/C running full blast at idle.. in So Cal.. 95+ degrees outside.

So I have a good used radiator in case anyone could use it in the So Cal area ( automatic style ).

The job took me 3 hrs total....it was a bear ( due to old stripped hardware found on disassembly). But this was a good thing.. I wish I took some pictures..

...The Horror.... The horror.

Vig~

 

[tyrel]

Yes, this is why cleaning the radiator and the fan shroud should be a part of the routine maintenance of a c4, at least every few years.