Car Overheating from Leaves
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 40,023
Likes: 3
From: Frisco, TX
St. Jude Donor '11 thru '26
Car Overheating from Leaves
I have never had any overheating in my 2000 coupe in 41 K miles. A few weeks ago, I started noticing temps near 235 when I was in traffic. It took a long time for the temperature to drop down to the 194 it runs at most of the time, even after I went back to normal highway speed (5-7 mins @ 65 mph).
I took the car to the dealer who said the radiator was clogged with leaves.
It was obviously my stupidity in not cleaning in front of the radiator. However, you need to do some disassembly to be able to do the cleaning.
Anyone else ever had this problem?
I took the car to the dealer who said the radiator was clogged with leaves.
It was obviously my stupidity in not cleaning in front of the radiator. However, you need to do some disassembly to be able to do the cleaning.
Anyone else ever had this problem?
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Re: Car Overheating from Leaves (vette6799)
I have had those plastic shopping bags, leaves, news paper, etc stuck up in my radiator.... Im in the process of designing a grid to protect the input area from large objects like paper bags and plastic bags etc... it would not be visable.. and non restrictive for air intake
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,994
Likes: 0
From: Dunstable MA
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
Re: Car Overheating from Leaves (Evil-Twin)
Make sure you use barb wire or something with sharp points so it snags any large items.
I have had less of a problem with debris up there since I put the halltech in, seems like it's deflecting stuff from getting way up in there.
BTW you don't need to disassemble anything to clean your radiator. You can clean it from under your car. Just use rhino ramps or jack stands and clean it out by hand from underneath.
One anedote that relates to this problem.
I took delivery of my car down in Florida.
I drove it back to Massachusetts in about 28 hours.
While driving through North Carolina there were frogs migrating across I95.
After I got home the next day I noticed that my car was running hotter than usual. Not really hot but enough to make me concerned.
I checked everything coolant related but saved looking at the radiator for last.
Well when I got under there, sure enough there were about 1000 little frogs completely encrusted together on my radiator :eek:
I picked them all out and sure enough my car's temps went back to normal. :D
So it is a good thing to check under there every once and a while, you never know what you may find. :smash:
I have had less of a problem with debris up there since I put the halltech in, seems like it's deflecting stuff from getting way up in there.
BTW you don't need to disassemble anything to clean your radiator. You can clean it from under your car. Just use rhino ramps or jack stands and clean it out by hand from underneath.
One anedote that relates to this problem.
I took delivery of my car down in Florida.
I drove it back to Massachusetts in about 28 hours.
While driving through North Carolina there were frogs migrating across I95.
After I got home the next day I noticed that my car was running hotter than usual. Not really hot but enough to make me concerned.
I checked everything coolant related but saved looking at the radiator for last.
Well when I got under there, sure enough there were about 1000 little frogs completely encrusted together on my radiator :eek:
I picked them all out and sure enough my car's temps went back to normal. :D
So it is a good thing to check under there every once and a while, you never know what you may find. :smash:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 8,205
Likes: 40
From: Tucson AZ
Re: Car Overheating from Leaves (vette6799)
Take a few minutes to be creative and rig some fiberglass screening across the bottom openning, like I did, and you will never have leaves again! Simple fix (use the screws along the leading edge of the bumper/radiator openning and attach to the sides with some additional screws/washers, etc.) and it works great!! :smash: Do it and pass it along to another C5 friend.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 3,452
Likes: 3
From: Spring, TX
Re: Car Overheating from Leaves (vette6799)
I am having this problem as well. My street is completely canopied by large Oaks, Pecan and Cottonwood trees. The leaves on my driveway and street are about calf deep after a good day of wind.
My car has also developed a taste for squirrel. It has sucked two of the little furry bastards up in to the radiator.
My car has also developed a taste for squirrel. It has sucked two of the little furry bastards up in to the radiator.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,248
Likes: 1
From: Newland US
Re: Car Overheating from Leaves (vette6799)
vette6799,
Pretty easy fix on the old Frogmobile....:D Wouldn't have thought the little critters would have been sucked up there but that was a good story. :) Thanks.
Good luck.
Mark
Pretty easy fix on the old Frogmobile....:D Wouldn't have thought the little critters would have been sucked up there but that was a good story. :) Thanks.
Good luck.
Mark
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Racer
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
From: Bloomington, IN USA
Re: Car Overheating from Leaves (vette6799)
I've been meaning to post a tip about cleaning between the radiator and shroud. I've noticed that leaves get stuck up there this time of year. I usually just clean them by hand and sometimes with a small stick (very carefully - you don't want to damage the radiator fins). I haven't paid attention to know if my temperatures ran high though.
JohnS
JohnS
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 3,630
Likes: 8
From: Virginia Beach Virginia
Re: Car Overheating from Leaves (JohnS)
I find it's lot easier to just stick my Wet-Vac small nozzle up there (being careful not to touch or ruin the radiator blades) and suck all the leaves and crap out of there.
