Radiator Fins/Grills?
02-23-2002, 01:07 AM
#1
Three Wheelin'
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Radiator Fins/Grills?
ok, I just got my car back with a brand new Radiator... heres the weird part, when i look at it from the front of the car through the air dams i still see my old dented up bent fins/grills, but when i pop the hood a see the new aluminum silver looking Kuhler 944 radiator. so what gives? arent those fins right on the radiator? or is that like, another part in the cooling system? im confused... i thought i would see a nice grid of grills through the dam with the new radiator <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
02-23-2002, 03:27 AM
#3
Three Wheelin'
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hah, what the? the radiator is behind the AC? and the AC is also a big radiator-sized set of fins and stuff? jees.. <img src="graemlins/oops.gif" border="0" alt="[oops]" />
02-23-2002, 09:19 AM
#4
Burning Brakes
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Operatorsx, not sure if you are joking around or not.. but it is important that the fins/grills as you describe be straight to let air flow thru.. the ac heat exchanger. It already is an air dampner to your radiator.. but if it is smashed and flattend like you say.. it will make your car run hotter than it should.. you need to spend some time straightening these fins.. think of semis in the winter with covers over the grill.. it is the same thing. but they need it to keep the engine hot enough.. your engine needs air flow..
02-23-2002, 01:39 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
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im not kidding around, i didnt know there was an ac heat exchanger in front of my radiator. yea some of the fins are bent up, i cleaned up some of them... my cars temp is always at the first bar when driving.. so its fine..
its just, i couldnt understand why there would be this thing infront of the radiator, isnt it impeding cooling to the radiator and engine?
so it looks like this from a side profile?
__________
/_ _
__/| || |/\
|_ | || |||
\|_||_|\/
^ ^ ^
/ / \______ fans
ac radiator
heat
exchange
right? just wondering
drawing ascii drawings are fun!
nevrmind. this board screws it all up!
its just, i couldnt understand why there would be this thing infront of the radiator, isnt it impeding cooling to the radiator and engine?
so it looks like this from a side profile?
__________
/_ _
__/| || |/\
|_ | || |||
\|_||_|\/
^ ^ ^
/ / \______ fans
ac radiator
heat
exchange
right? just wondering
drawing ascii drawings are fun! nevrmind. this board screws it all up!
02-23-2002, 01:57 PM
#7
Nordschleife Master
Everything said here is correct. Yes, that a/c cooler is a problem with your engine rad, but not much of one.
So clean it up and straighten out the fins. Get a solid copper wire, like 14 or 16 gauge, I forget which size works best, turn the working end into a hook and fish out and straighten out the whole mess. Besides the bugs, I actually had a used condom stuck in there!
This whole multi-layered heat exchanger deal is why I'm not too excited about SFR approach to adding the larger intercooler up front. Not a big issue on my list so haven't come up with a better solution than TurboTim's.
So clean it up and straighten out the fins. Get a solid copper wire, like 14 or 16 gauge, I forget which size works best, turn the working end into a hook and fish out and straighten out the whole mess. Besides the bugs, I actually had a used condom stuck in there!
This whole multi-layered heat exchanger deal is why I'm not too excited about SFR approach to adding the larger intercooler up front. Not a big issue on my list so haven't come up with a better solution than TurboTim's.
