Posted by Jeff on July 24, 01 at 14:18:14:
I have always been good about blasting the bugs from the radiator and trans cooler with the hose from the front of my Tahoe, but I recently found out I was not doing what I thought I was. I was actually only hitting the trans cooler and the condenser for the AC. The radiator actually sits behind the condenser and thus was never getting hit with the stream of water. This meant the radiator was not getting cleaned. Plus, anything that made it thru was trapped between them.
To remedy this I removed the upper radiator shroud, which gave me access to the back of the condenser and both sides of the radiator. As I suspected, there was a pile of leaves and other crap between the condenser and the radiator. It was about an inch high so I cleaned it all out with the shop vac. Then I blasted every inch of the radiator and condenser from both sides with a hose. I was shocked to see that the water coming from the radiator was dark at times. Must have been areas that were plugged with crud!
It took less than an hour, and if you have never done this, it’s worth the time invested and the peace of mind the radiator is unobstructed. I haven’t noted any major temp drops, but my weak AC seems a touch cooler now.
Jeff