cleaning radiators

[timothy]

Good find. He had a difficult time reaching behind the liner for a screw but maybe that is still easier than what I did -- jack up the car and remove the entire liner. I have also seen a variation where the the liner is detached and pulled back at the front but left in place behind the shock.

[MarkOfZero]

Tony,

Thanks for posting this link. It is something that I have been meaning to do. Now that I see how easy it is, I will definitely do it soon.

Mark

[tonycarreon]

well i just took my bumper off and cleaned the radiators. still have to put it all back together. ( taking a short break for now ).

all told, took an hour and a half to get it apart and 15-20 minutes to actually clean the radiators. letting them ( and the ground ) dry before putting it back together.

i'll post pictures soon, but here's what i've learned:

1. never put your fingers anywhere near the inside of the pliers *OUCH*
2. go slowly. if you think you've got all the bolts / screws off, check again. did you check again? do it again. if it doesn't just slide / pop off, you've missed one. i told you so. ( this actually took up a good 15 minutes of my time looking for that one hidden screw i missed.)
3. for god's sake remember where the screws went. i hope i can put it all back together from memory. there are an assload of them, and no i guess german's don't like even numbers. ( 9, 7, 5, 6.... )
4. go slowly, you'll thank yourself later.
5. if you're working alone, put something under the bumper so it doesn't just *PLOP* to the driveway concrete. i used styrofoam sheets i had laying around. i'm REALLY glad i did because when i found that last screw and gently tugged on the bumper, it did just slide right off.
6. go slowly, take a break. go have a beer ( or soda since i don't drink beer ), you earned it.
7. the guy in the video mentioned there's a hidden hex bolt at the top of the air boot that's hard to get to. if you take the headlight off, it's very easy to get to because then you don't have to come from down under, you can get right to it.
8. the driver's side radiator was easy to get separated. however the passenger side required a little more gumption.


pics soon. and MAN it was dirty. i'd say 25-30% of each radiator was blocked with gunk.

I clean my radiators, 2 times, with every car wash. With my leaf blower.

1) Leaf blower when everything is dry
2) Leaf blower after everything is wet.

Lots of stuff comes flying out each time.

[tonycarreon]

ok. it's done. everything is zipped back up, everything is finished. i drove the car for a short trip and the bumper didn't fall off - i call it a success.

i even put it on the dyno and i got an extra 10hp!! ok, that's a lie. just had to add it in.

so what'd i learn putting things back together?

1. no that hole isn't for a screw, it's for a plastic expandy thingy ( sorry i don't know what they're called ). took me 20 minutes to figure that out. you should have made diagram or at least a list of what went where.

2. stop taking so many breaks. it's not brain surgery. you'll be sorry when the sun is gone and you're trying to put the car back together by the light of that flashlight on your keychain! ( or the shop light that every bug in the neighborhood is attracted to. )

3. yes, your car does want to hurt you. yes, the license plate is sharp and will cut you.

4. ouch, my back. screw it, just sit and lay down on the ground instead of squatting.

ok, so looking back - 25-30% "blockage" was probably more than truthful. my excitement of getting them off and seeing the stuff fall out colored my ability to estimate. still, i don't think it can be said they were anywhere near "clean" and this is something i'm certainly glad i did.

bmussatti: a leaf blower is only going to get the stuff on the outside of the radiator. they're actually two radiators sandwiched together, and most of the gunk was in-between them. i would highly recommend taking them out and cleaning them with a hose. if you do and they're clean after your leaf blower technique, feel free to make fun of me for doing more than was required and i will take it completely. keep in mind, this is an '01 and having purchased it used, i have no idea if this was ever done. so if not, for 8 years of driving it wasn't bad at all. might check it next year or so and see how far it's come.

forgot to add, total time.
1.5 hrs to get the bumper off, remove the air scoops, seperate the radiators. spray them out with the hose and use my hands to get the last bits of twigs, leaves and candy wrappers out ( yes, there really was a candy wrapper up there ).

30 minutes to let dry.

1 hr to get the car put back together.

anyway, as promised, here are the photos:
http://web.me.com/tonycarreon/boxster/Cleaning_Radiators.html

[cvhs18472]

When I cleaned mine, besides the usually candy wrappers, cig butts and leaves was a $2 bill. I was being rewarded by the Porsche gods for being good. Ed

Originally Posted by tonycarreon

bmussatti: a leaf blower is only going to get the stuff on the outside of the radiator. they're actually two radiators sandwiched together, and most of the gunk was in-between them. i would highly recommend taking them out and cleaning them with a hose. if you do and they're clean after your leaf blower technique, feel free to make fun of me for doing more than was required and i will take it completely. keep in mind, this is an '01 and having purchased it used, i have no idea if this was ever done. so if not, for 8 years of driving it wasn't bad at all. might check it next year or so and see how far it's come.

Tony, please, I am not making fun of you. You did a great job. I have been using the leaf blower method since my car was new. So, I think they are pretty clean. Plus, I steer around cigarette butts and dry leaves.

Like you said, your car is 8 years-young, so a good cleaning is necessary. I think if a new owner used the leaf blower method, they would be fine for a long-long time.

[RandallNeighbour]

Bill, I'm willing to bet you have a lot more crap between your radiator panels than you think. Of course, your car is only 3 years old and I don't think it's your DD, is it?

It would be a great Saturday project for a white collar professional like yourself. Your kids could watch and ask you a million questions and drive you nuts. Quality family time I say!

If there's little to nothing in there, you will be triumphant in your assumption. If not, you can enjoy the fact that you kept your motor from running hotter than it needed to run.

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by bmussatti

Tony, please, I am not making fun of you.

j/k

no i didn't think that was what you were saying. i meant if it isn't dirty, feel free to make fun of me.

--

my recollection of family time, when i helped my dad do some project on his 1967 ford galaxie:
"daddy, what's that?", "why?", "what's that do?" "what's that for?", "why do i have to sit inside the car now?" *HONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNK* "why do i have to go inside now?"

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by bmussatti

I clean my radiators, 2 times, with every car wash. With my leaf blower.

1) Leaf blower when everything is dry
2) Leaf blower after everything is wet.

Lots of stuff comes flying out each time.

Course you know better, esp. for the 987, but here's a pic of the crud between the condenser and the rad on a car w/ only 27k mi.

Maybe the 987 system is different, or the road debris in IL is different than the rest of the country.

If not, suggest cleaning between them.