So I'm investigating an intermittent coolant leak and as I'm under my car I stare up onto the surface of the ac condenser and it has a woolly blanket over it... It looked as if I sucked up road kill and had it up there for 15,000 miles. I clean it off by pealing it off and with some duct tape.

I decide to replace the water pump, since most signs lead to it as my issue. I decide I might as well take out the radiator and to a good cleaning on it. It was a little bit of a pain to remove, but nothing to cry over. I could do it again a lot quicker. Here is a picture of the radiator (this is after I pealed off some of it!).

There is no way this is normal is it? My temps were running a little high while sitting in traffic. I think this might make some difference

 

It's more common than you'd think. The C5/Z06 is a bottom breather. Trapped junk is a common cause of intermittent over heating.

Now that it's all cleaned up, you might consider a protective screen like offered by ELITE ENGINEERING USA. Some chose to DIY. It'll keep the big junk out of there. You'll still need to routinely clean for sand and smaller bugs that manage to get through.

http://eliteengineeringusa.com/Insta...ad_Screenl.pdf

 

here is a pic of most of the radiator crap sitting next to a clean radiator. Remember the condenser had even more than this had!

 

That is a rhetorical question......right?

 

I have been saying that its real good idea to take out the radiator if you havent done it.. because what you see there could just be a one time runnover alot of grass clippings, you can see in that debris ,, exactly where the fan force is drawin in air and in this case unwanted road debris.. Now if you could just peel that stuff or brush it off just like you would with it in the car. it would reveal that even though all the stuff on the face was removed.. the same blockage will be inside the cooling vans.. I had bee cleaning this surface and that of the condenser for years. With a 12 Qt cooling system it doesnt take much to reduce the heat transfer capacity. I just removed my radiator and found even after a through cleaning the inside areas was still blocked. with the radiator removed.. its much easier to clean the condensor and bow it through .. this makes the cooling system work as it should and also makes the AC work as it should. Ive postewd this recommentadtion several times. ( remove the radiator and clean it. It takes less than an hour to do this start to finish,
BTW A screen will not stop any of this stuff, it will stop a large plastic bag but not the stuff that really clogs the radiator and consenser.. its small fuzzies, bug guts, and grass clipings.. the only thing the screen does is keep you from getting up there and cleaning it,,, I use that use a screen but found it to be counter productive in keeping this area clean.
Good Job
Bill aka ET

 

You can buy a air-wand from Harbor Frieght or fabricate a water-wand setup yourself. Either way, take the radiator cover off which will provide access between the condensor and radiator. Using the wand, blow out back towards the front all the debris. You won't be surprised at how much you'll get out of there based upon what you found already and by the way, that's the worst I've ever seen!

 

I have been doing this for years, wih a wand with a bend from Harbor freight. In fact I recommended using one..and with water too. But after doing this a few months ago , I decided to take out the radiator and because of the narrow passages.. some of the stuff that gets lodged in there becomes like cement and you really need to see exactly what you are cleaning and apply the right amount of force to dislodge the debris.

 

Wow thats rediculous! Iv never seen anything like that before. WOW!

 

Took my 68k mile unit out when the engine was coming apart and it was only about half that bad, but it was enough to say, "damn".

 

What makes those vettes do that? I have a 01 ss ls1 camaro with almost 90k on it and all it gets is little pebbles crammed in the fins. I cant imagine sucking up all that grass! ****,I bet theres a bird in there with some eggs lol

 

The front end of the Corvette is designed to suck in air to cool the condensor and radiator from the bottom, therefore off the road. It literally becomes a vacuum cleaner in the worst way.

 

interesting... ive heard others say its overkill to remove the radiator to clean it, but i have been a bit reluctant to beleive this. im sure after 130k miles, it is probably a good idea to remove mine and do some real cleaning.

 

Right, the same guys that cry the blues in this sections with overheat and running hot issues.

I am religious about cleaning my radiator, but I could have never removed all the debris without removing it.....period.

 

Any one who says its overkill , is just lazy, it is a well know fact that the C5 needs all the help it can get when it comes to cooling.. because of the design of this car, its a 12 qt cooling system , not a 22 qt like that found in many other cars. Cleaning the radiator and the condenser has always been a good idea, but I found that even though I clean mine every year, I wanted tot take it out and do a real good visual. I found so much caked in debris blocking off many of the cooling vanes. it was like cement. Invest the time, take it out and do a real cleaning, you will be amazed at how the temps vary much less. It also easier to clean the condenser which also has as much issue as the radiator and lets face it, if it isn't going through the condenser, the air will never reach the radiator..Overkill indeed. just another example of how all these know it alls seem to really know nothing.

 

dude it's getting cold out, you may want to stuff that in your coat.

 

I know this is sort of an old post, but I too just had to remove my radiator to clean it out. My question is, does anyone have a clear, easy and error proof method of straightening any bent fins? Both my condensor and radiator had some bent ones, and it's such soft aluminum, it was hard/impossible to get them straight again. Any special tools out there?

Thanks,
Robert

 

I used a pick type tool and carefully went through them but its a painstaking process to do. Remember that the condensor is where the majority of the mess is stuck since its in front and the radiator catches whatever gets through the condensor. The only real way to clean these out is to reverse blow or wash them back out towards the front. Taking to cover off the radiator condensor, you can get an air-wand or water-wand down between.