R50 Vq35 (with At) Rad Cleaning

[Trainman]

So I probably need to clean out the fins of the rad and AC coil. I had issues with the fan running excessively last summer and blew out as much of the bugs, dirt and other stuff as could be done without removing the rad. But with summer on its way again I now need to pay the piper and do a proper job.

 

How hard is it? Does the AC need to be purged? Or can the rad be removed independently from the AC rad? The trannie cooler is no big issue, just do not know about the AC.

 

 

Merci,

 

Tman

[bryfry]

The radiator is a separate unit and does not require touching the A/C. Not too hard to remove--check on some of the timing belt posts for some pictures and tips.

[Trainman]

The radiator is a separate unit and does not require touching the A/C. Not too hard to remove--check on some of the timing belt posts for some pictures and tips.

 

Thanks, will do. Of course, not having a timing belt I would never have thought to even look there

[Alkorahil]

Of course, not having a timing belt I would never have thought to even look there

 

Did you lose it?

 

seriously, piece of cake!

[Trainman]

Did you lose it?

 

Yep, if you see one just lying around let me know

 

Anyway, the reason I asked was that on another forum, it was posted that cleaning the rad (on a TJ) was tough due to the AC, so was wondering what I was getting myself into on a Pathy.

[MadManMike]

I just got done taking my rad out and putting a new one in... it's a piece of cake. And I did it all with out taking off the lower plate (under the car.. skid plate I guess??). The only challenge was getting the lower rad hose off, and trying to wrestle with aligning the fan shroud. When I took the rad out I just used some vice grips to pinch off the tranny cooler lines and then took them off... so I wouldn't spill a bunch of fluid.

 

-Mike

[XPLORx4]

If I understand correctly, you just want to remove crud/bugs/debris from the AC condenser and radiator, right?

 

To do this "right" you really only need to partially drain the radiator (just low enough so that you can remove the upper radiator hose without spilling coolant).

 

Remove the undercarriage splash guard, remove the radiator cap, and loosen/remove the radiator drain plug. Drain about a half gallon out into a clean bucket (so you can reuse the coolant), then quickly put the plug back in.

 

Unclip the lower fan shroud from the upper fan shroud.

 

Remove the upper radiator hose from the radiator.

 

Remove the upper fan shroud.

 

Remove the engine fan.

 

Spray water through the radiator from the engine side.

 

Remove the upper radiator support brackets, then tilt the radiator toward the engine slightly. Not too much, though. There's not much clearance between the radiator and the steering box.

 

That opens up a gap so that you can spray water through the AC condenser.

 

That should improve airflow through the radiator.

 

Reinstall everything and you're done.

[mws]

I also like to soak the fins with Simple Green or a similar cleaner to dissolve the guts and get the fins really clean. Rinse well, soak with cleaner, grab a barley pop. Keep misting to keep damp. When barley pop timer goes off, do final rinse.

 

Another tip: Spray with air to dry it, and then mist with some kind of silicone based goo - armour all or the like. This will leave a film of silicone behind, which will make future cleanings much, much easier as stuff will slide right off.