I'm in the process of installing a new radiator in my 86 coupe. I think the old one was fine, but since I have it out I'm just going to change it. All the leaves and plastic bags found between the condenser and the radiator concerns me. Has anyone tried any strategies to block the trash from getting back there? I was thinking about some foam or put in some shields that would direct the air through the condenser but block the debris from going around the condenser to lodge between it and the radiator.

Also, I notice there is a fair amount of dirt lodged in the condenser which logically blocks air flow. I tried compressed air on the backside but then fins would fold over. Any ideas here?

 

They make (or used too) a screen that you can place over the opening at the bottom.
You could also fab one up pretty easy I would imagine.

I'd be very careful about using any kind of foam though, as that could quickly become clogged with dust/dirt. And when that happens, you will lose the airflow.
You need to keep the airflow going through there, and that is also the exact reason so much of that crap gets up in there in the first place. But without the airflow, the car is going to overheat.

 

I was thinking of foam (or baffles) around the sides, top and bottom to block airflow from going AROUND the condenser not foam in the air stream.

 

The problem with using air pressure to blow out dirt and debris is that the stuff lodged in there is dry and has sort of adhered itself to the fins and tubes. IIRC, there is a liquid cleaner you can buy that sprays on the front of the radiator and/or condenser that will loosen the dirt up so that a stream of water or low-pressure air can remove it.

Could be that even hot soapy water sprayed on the condenser and letting it sit for a couple minutes will help to loosen up the dirt.

While a screen under the nose could work, it too can trap stuff. Something like a trapped plastic bag could be a real problem if it cuts off most of the airflow.

A regular cleaning schedule will probably do more good than trying to figure out how to form some sort of a barricade to keep the junk out.

 

I fabbed one out of mesh screen....

 

My C4s are both late-model cars ('94 and '96), so there's some difference between them and yours, but here's what I've done on both of mine. It has worked superbly, and I cannot for the life of me fathom why such a screen was not standard equipment on these cars. Debris in this area is a well-known, chronic problem.

Live well,

SJW

 

That looks great. How did you attach the screen? I couldn't tell from the pictures.

 

The upper edge of it is secured to the fog lamp access panel screws, by way of two stainless steel clips. The lower corners are secured with two black plastic zip-ties, each of which is routed through a 1/4-inch hole I drilled in the black plastic air dam, inside of the mouth of the air intake. These holes are invisible to the eye because of their position behind the screen, and inside of the air intake.

The screen was fabricated from galvanized steel mesh gutter-guard material I bought at Lowe's:

http://tinyurl.com/2a9elmw

This material was conveniently the perfect width for my needs, and needed only to be cut to length with sheet metal snips and shaped on its ends to fit the opening as I wished.

The stainless steel clips were furnished with the mesh (their intended use was to attach the mesh to the gutters of a house), and I reshaped them to serve as the mounting clips I needed. Here's a close-up of the clip, reshaped, drilled for mounting under the fog lamp cover screw, and attached to the prototype screen that I made on my first attempt:





This image shows the clip secured under the fog lamp cover screw:






And this one shows the clip and the zip-tie:






And, finally, this image is of the second one I made, incorporating a few minor alterations based upon things I learned fabricating the prototype. I also squirted this one with a rattle-can of flat black paint prior to installing it, and it almost vanishes from the eye (although you have to get down on your hands and knees, or look at the car from some distance to even see it at all, being so far under the bumper as it is):






I highly recommend this accessory. Anybody who has passable manual dexterity and a few basic tools can easily fabricate and install it themselves. It keeps all but the smallest of debris out of the condenser and radiator, and will surely help prevent the amount of debris build-up that contributes to elevated operating temps.

Hope this helps.

Live well,

SJW

 

This the same screen I made mine out of, I got it at Home Depot for less than two bucks. Works great.

 

Wow, SJW such a simple and elegant solution. I LOVE it.

I don't have the fog light covers on my 86. But it looks like I could drill a couple holes in the frame cross beam and attach it there.

Now, Midnight 85 our cars are very similar, where did you attach the upper mounts on yours?

 

To the 7mm screws that hold the bottom of the bumper cover on.

 

Stopping the big stuff with a screen is the best fix,
when driving a hi-performance vacuum cleaner.

 

I wonder if we could use the Coil cleaner that HVAC guys use on the radiator and condensor.

 

I would think that carb cleaner sprayed on the condensor would dissolve any greasy deposits holding dirt and crud. But mine had more solid material and what looked like animal hair.

At least I HOPE it was animal....

 

Probably had a cat sleeping in there

 

I've been spraying brake parts cleaner on my condenser while waiting for my new radiator to come in. I plan to us a vacuum with a brush attachment to see if that sucks some of it out. Incidentally, mine has small pebbles lodged in the fins.

 

Very nice.