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Looks like I'll be pulling my radiator to clean it and the condenser. Looks worse in person than in the pics. Their is some debris sitting in the bottom that you can't see in the pics.
I installed a used radiator (free...the price was right) when I repaired my front end. The previous owner had installed a new after-market radiator, as the old one wasn't working to his satisfaction.
Well, while it was out of the car, I pressure-washed it; carefully blowing high pressure through the core from the back side*. Lord! I was astounded at the amount of sand and vegetation material that came out!
I ran it for the past 2 seasons now, and it never got above 205 - the point at which my fans have been programmed (ECM) to come on, and generally ran w/o the fans coming on whenever I was driving.
*Note: Most pressure washers will develop pressure of up to 2k PSI or more. So, one needs to back away so as not to distort the fins or even break any tubes. But, in any case, if contemplating a new radiator because the old one is not working, the old one might just be very dirty. And, I don't think a garden hose has the pressure needed to clean out the junk that is jammed between the tubes among the fins.
I flushed the outside of the radiator on my '93 almost two years ago. The exterior fins had never been cleaned in 19 years. 57K miles. The temp was running around 215-217 at highway cruising 65 mph. I did not remove the radiator and was very CAREFUL not to get the optispark wet with the garden hose. I found big bugs, cigarette butts, walmart plastic bag and tons on dried old grass, plus dirt. After the cleaning coolant temp is now 200-202 at the same speeds, summer time heat. Have fun - Ozz
Dirty radiator
