Friendly Spring Reminder - Clean Your Radiators!

[onewhippedpuppy]

That is all.

[Boxtaboy]

I did that once and never again to be honest. Waste of my time IMO. There was some but not that much crap in there cause I usually vacuum in there every year. I know some people say if you don't get those leaves out the radiators will rust and you'll need to replace, but mine have been good for 16 yrs and stilll going so if they need replacing one day, it's ok. I'll be good for another 16 yrs afterwards. Lol.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I've done it on multiple 986s and 996s and always gotten a good amount of crap out, but it is of course heavily dependent on where and when you drive your car. I believe the condenser and radiator are both aluminum so rust is of little concern, but it does block airflow through both and degrade your radiator and A/C performance.

[steved0x]

I've always wondered if you could put some weatherstrip or something around the back edge of the condenser and keep that junk from getting caught between the condenser and the radiator? I cleaned mine out a couple years ago and got a ton of junk, probably time to do it again.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I think the only way you prevent the gunk getting trapped is to block the area above the condenser, which limits airflow to the radiator. Obviously not ideal.

[Deserion]

I'll probably be doing this next weekend. I know I haven't done it since I've owned the car (over 6 years).

[oldskool73]

This being Australia mine was full of a 50/50 mix of gumtree leaves and scary creatures (including a spider)...

[thstone]

Something to be aware of - this radiator has probably lost 15%-18%% of its cooling capacity as a result of debris damage to the radiator fins (bending the fins over so very little air can get thru). In reality, 15%-18% loss may not be critical but over the long term if you notice higher running temps, this might be part of the cause.

[Boxtaboy]

My temps haven't increased. Always right where's it's supposed to be...

Oh...and I've never once had to have my A/C recharged in 16 yrs. It still blows cold air. Not trying to be a jerk, but serously...we have 2 other cars, and I don't sit there pulling the bumpers off and cleaning them off either, and they still work fine too. I mean, if you want to do it, it's fine...it's your car, but I just don't see a need. I did it once before thinking it would make a difference since people were saying it needed to be done, but nah, no thanks. Then again, people say I need to swap out my original IMS for a beefier replacement or add in an oil feed line, but nah thanks to that too. I ain't fixing what ain't broken...

[Nmbrsix]

Just did it on mine a few weeks ago. Found all kinds of crap, including a mummified bird, and both of my rads were about 25% occluded.

Essential annual maintenance for daily driven cars, IMO.

[Benitom]

I usually clean mine when I vacuum the inside. Fortunately my vacuum cleaner has a skinny hose. I mark up my bumper grills but don't care. It adds character and my radiators are free of debree

[Anker]

That's not the radiator. Its the AC condenser. The radiator is behind the condenser.

[Mr Flat Six]

I will definitely be doing this sometime in the next few weeks. I can see the leaves and debris sitting in there. It'll be interesting to see how much stuff is in there because I would bet it hasn't been cleaned out in a while.