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Couldn't find the humor section to post this in so here it is. The outside of the vette was so super clean when I bought it. Hard to imagine it was carrying 15lbs of leaves between the radiator and condensing coil. No wonder I was running 250!!
They're so easy to get in and so hard to get out! I wish we could reverse our fans for a few seconds after each drive to puff out what it inhaled that day.
Big Mouth Air Dam does help a lot!
Clean the fins good and pull the knocks to do a proper flush. And hope you did not do any damage.
Pull the knocks? What's that?
I don't think I did any damage I hope. Luckily I was in a spot to pull over quickly and the temp came down at idle. It only hit 250 once and was quickly back down to 225 as soon as I stopped.
I don't think I did any damage I hope. Luckily I was in a spot to pull over quickly and the temp came down at idle. It only hit 250 once and was quickly back down to 225 as soon as I stopped.
The knock sensors the only way to get all the crap out. You will not believe how much. yours will have only one and something else on the other side.
Last edited by antfarmer2; Dec 19, 2016 at 10:00 PM.
Hi
The 85 engine is very robust, has forged pistons and not bothered by overheating unless driven hard while overheating.
I cooked my 85 a few times and she just bounced back good as new, the temp sender in the head can fail and show the wrong temperature after being cooked. It may need replacement.
Check the link below for the air intake screens to stop the "highway leaf cleaning free of charge" thing.
its not just raking the leaves and trash off the a/c condenser.
As you found, there will be trash between the a/c condenser and the radiator. Besides the junk that you can just sweep or vacum off , there will be a ton of seeds, small stones, insects and who knows what embedded in the fins of both the a/c condenser and the radiator.
to do the job right, at a minimum plan on pulling the radiator and spending a couple hours cleaning it to get all the small embedded stuff out; clean the a/c condenser as best you can with it in the car,...or...if you're planning on having any A/C work done that would require emptying the system (my situation), pull the a/c condenser also.
I know its a lot of work, but I consoled myself with the thought that it took a long while to get that bad.
Last edited by mtwoolford; Dec 20, 2016 at 04:33 PM.
I have pulled the radiator and am in the process of cleaning. Been kinda cold to get the water hose out and really flush it.
Next question is how best to fix the problem. I am guessing I have a gap at the top of my condensing coil allowing leaves to go over the top? I sure couldn't see any other gaps when I was taking it apart. There is nothing between the top of the coil and the plastic cover. I wonder if there was something their originally?
This is fairly common. If you own a C4 it's worth taking a look at your car.
"Each pound of pressure in the cooling system raises the boiling point by 2 to 3 degrees. If you have a radiator cap that allows for 15 lbs. of pressure your coolant won’t boil until it reaches 250 F. If you use a cap rated at 20 psi you raise the boiling point of the coolant to over 270."
I have pulled the radiator and am in the process of cleaning. Been kinda cold to get the water hose out and really flush it.
Next question is how best to fix the problem. I am guessing I have a gap at the top of my condensing coil allowing leaves to go over the top? I sure couldn't see any other gaps when I was taking it apart. There is nothing between the top of the coil and the plastic cover. I wonder if there was something their originally?
Hi see link to the screen that will solve the problem, it was on my previous post #9
Last edited by gerardvg; Dec 22, 2016 at 06:43 PM.
Reason: Bad link.
The first mod I did was to install some galvanized mesh screen in that gaping mouth above the front spoiler. They call it "hardware cloth" LOL... couldn't get it on there fast enough. It won't stop a 2x4 but it keeps out plenty of lightweight debris including bugs and leaves and plastic bags. No cooling issues as it doesn't really restrict airflow.
OOOOoooo I like that. You have just given me my weekend project.
Thanks... it takes a bit of measuring and cutting and fiddling but it's probably the lowest cost solution. Certainly not the prettiest but nobody really sees down there anyway and it's still quite effective, in my 1995, so far. If you're willing to spend a little more for a better looking solution, the other options mentioned by other posters above may be a better choice for you. I just wanted to put something in there right now, that works.
So, not that anybody cares but I just got everything back together after pulling the radiator and flushing, removing the intake runners and removing dents via ball bearings, replacing the injectors with bosh 3, spark plugs, throttle body coolant bypass, regasketimg throttle body and intake, replacing most vacuum hoses on the top and praying I got it all back together right......
It ran like a scalded dog! Still tons of cleaning to do but I got her back on the road. Whew.....
Overheating fun!
I wish we could reverse our fans for a few seconds after each drive to puff out what it inhaled that day.
