Cleaning Radiators/Preventing mud/etc ???

icekayak · Post by **icekayak** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 3:56 pm

Ok after being told by the radiator shop my radiator is the worst they have seen (that was after driving through the lake too :wink:

), I need to find the best way to clean it, and prevent it from getting dirty too

Some options:
Bungy cord/Plastic Radiator blind infront of the grill
Real Estate Agent Sign (would this melt against a hot radiator)?
Some sort of removeable fine mesh strainer infront of the radiator so that could be cleaned instead of the fins...

What are some of the other suggestions out there?

mud_slinger · Post by **mud_slinger** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:10 pm

squirt the hose thru it wen you get home :lol:

4wdnuts · Post by **4wdnuts** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:49 pm

i just use the water blaster when i get home

klompy · Post by **klompy** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 5:07 pm

To do the job properly you have to remove it from the vehicle.You can't clean it properly in place.A waterblaster is best but stay back so as not to damage fins.You will get good at it if you insist on playing in mud. :wink:

JTop · Post by **JTop** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 6:26 pm

remove your air cond rad, if fitted. If you use a screen in front of the rad you have to remember not to reverse back into the mud if you don't clear it, just be recovered from where you stop.
Remove your rad, block off all hoses and holes, and leave it soaking in a bath or similar to soften the baked on mud for easy removal.
J Top

wopass · Post by **wopass** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 6:29 pm

icekayak wrote:Ok after being told by the radiator shop my radiator is the worst they have seen (that was after driving through the lake too ), I need to find the best way to clean it, and prevent it from getting dirty too

Some options:
Bungy cord/Plastic Radiator blind infront of the grill
Real Estate Agent Sign (would this melt against a hot radiator)?
Some sort of removeable fine mesh strainer infront of the radiator so that could be cleaned instead of the fins...

What are some of the other suggestions out there?

get a bigger truck :wink:

then you have to go deeper to get mud in your radiator

or you can put the rad in the back

or you will just have to be more carefull when you play in the mud with me

the radiator blind is the best idea

a simple piece of canvas is the most easy to work with and will do the trick, cut to shape and some small ties to hold it in place before you charge into the deep mud,remembering to roll it back up after you get out of the deep stuff :wink:

and when you get home make an effort to either clean it properly by taking it out and waterblasting it or hose the shit out of it :wink:

icekayak · Post by **icekayak** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 6:49 pm

I thought the snowplough attached to the front of the zook does a reasonable job... but i guess i'll make up a blind to fit above it... i mean it wasn't over the bonnet yet...

icekayak · Post by **icekayak** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:05 pm

There's only a little height difference really... :wink:

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:50 pm

Jtop is right

this is my radiator AFTER i had cleaned it 3 times carefully whilst still in the Daihatsu....ended up soaking it in the bath for a week.....

I am going to have to pull it out after every mud trip OR rip out the aircon

wjw · Post by **wjw** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:51 pm

Take it out, get a normal hose and hold it right up against the fins until no mud is left, move along and repeat... usually takes me 25 minutes from start to finish to do mine, that includes taking it out... I also put a sack over the front for the muddy stuff...

turoa · Post by **turoa** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 7:54 pm

You can get radiators recored with fins that are really far apart so the mud will just go through it. If it doesnt, a quick squirt with the hose will have it through easily. That kind of core also adds more water to the cooling system as well. I think I read somewhere that a LR90 had a 2.6l bigger capacity than the standard core.

wopass · Post by **wopass** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 10:18 pm

icekayak wrote:There's only a little height difference really...

thats a cool pic dude, my bonet is nearly as high as your roof ! ! :shock:

PR · Post by PR » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:13 am

Ok then how do you get the mud out of the inside of the radiator????? dam cap came off and I didnt know went through a hole and things started to heat up, had the hose running through it for 2 hours before the water came out clean. Will there be any other problems?????

icekayak · Post by **icekayak** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 3:22 pm

wopass wrote:
icekayak wrote:There's only a little height difference really...

thats a cool pic dude, my bonet is nearly as high as your roof ! !

And i think my front diff is higher than yours :shock:

wopass · Post by **wopass** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 7:39 pm

icekayak wrote:
wopass wrote:
icekayak wrote:There's only a little height difference really...

thats a cool pic dude, my bonet is nearly as high as your roof ! !

And i think my front diff is higher than yours

you have a front diff ? ?

... yea probably :roll:

billyvanboheman · Post by **billyvanboheman** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 8:06 pm

JTop wrote: leave it soaking in a bath or similar to soften the baked on mud for easy removal.
J Top

I take it you dont use the bath for actual bath's at all??? :lol:

stinky · Post by **stinky** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 8:38 pm

I chucked mine in the pool forgot it was the oil cooler as well now havs a mini oil slick

billyvanboheman · Post by **billyvanboheman** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 8:56 pm

stinky wrote:I chucked mine in the pool forgot it was the oil cooler as well now havs a mini oil slick

BUGGER

mudchuka · Post by **mudchuka** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:18 pm

i find compressed air is good for hard packed clay, its a dusty job, leave the hose running on the fins while you blow it out with the compressor, it usually works the best, and is quicker than using just the garden hose.

dixie · Post by **dixie** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:18 pm

mudchuka
Hard Yaka
Standard Member

Joined: Feb 23, 2006
Posts: 211
Location: invercargill
Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:18 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i find compressed air is good for hard packed clay, its a dusty job, leave the hose running on the fins while you blow it out with the compressor, it usually works the best, and is quicker than using just the garden hose.

You went to the same training group I did Mud,this exercise works the best.
The first time I did this it took about an hour or so simply because of all the horsehair,seeds,grass,mud and all sorts of shit,I was half expecting a farkin nest of birds to fly out.
But now the shit just falls out!!Theres no issue with impairing the cooling fins as most of the force is air.

DieselBoy · Post by **DieselBoy** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 9:11 am

Get friendly with a dairy farmer, the high pressure hose at the cowshed is the best method i have found. Its the volume of water that you need, as opposed to the high pressure and low volume of a water blaster.

Moriarty · Post by **Moriarty** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 3:58 pm

DieselBoy wrote:Get friendly with a dairy farmer, the high pressure hose at the cowshed is the best method i have found. Its the volume of water that you need, as opposed to the high pressure and low volume of a water blaster.

I had to spend a few hours with needle nose pliers making the intercooler fins sort of straighter cos I was stupid enuff to follow Wopass one day. Why the pliers??? too close with the waterblaster, learned a valuable lesson or two.

However, lots of water volumne, little pressure IS best.

Cleaning Radiators/Preventing mud/etc ???

Cleaning Radiators/Preventing mud/etc ???

Re: Cleaning Radiators/Preventing mud/etc ???