Rob Heath

As I was working to install a bracket for a front license plate I happened to notice that there were leaves and debris in front of both radiators.

I can get my hand and wrist through the grill and picked a lot out. Leaves were compacted by the speed of driving. Still working on removal, and started to use a small dowel (blunt rather than sharp edge) as I don't want to poke any holes in the radiators. Pictures are after taking a couple of handfuls out. Good picture of the dead bug

Two questions:
- Is there an easier way to do this? I looked underneath the car and through the trunk but don't see an easy way to get to this space without removing the bumper? I figure that must be a common maintenance area... removing debris from an unblocked radiator.
- I haven't had time to look to see if there is a Bentley's manual for 997.2 but I am thinking that these are the water cooler radiators and not oil coolers? (sorry former air cooled guy)

Thanks

LexVan

Leaf blower.

Robocop305

A vacuum cleaner with a long and narrow hose. I usually go thru the middle vent on my 997.2.

Rob Heath

Shop vacuum attachments that I have don't fit through grill, the debris that is left doesn't blow out...so I guess I need to buy a new "tool" for my car

Thanks

vrnkc

Just duck tape a small hose to any
vacuum cleaner hose.

MarkinMD

A cardboard tube from gift wrapping works great too. Tape it to the vacuum hose and it can be compressed to fit through the grills. I also use one of these to grab leaves and stuff the vacuum won't get...

http://www.lowes.com/pd_79041-56005-...ductId=3139045

Spiffyjiff

you dont have bumper grills, right? then it should be easy to adapt a vacuum hose as others described.

there are 2 rads on each side of the bumper - the forward ones are aircon condensers, the rearward are coolant. the plastic strips you can see at the bottom (and there are also ones across the top) of the front rads are "supposed" to keep debris from getting wedged in between the two. but as you can see that your plastic strip is bowed down so, they arent exactly a watertight fit.

and man, your '10 looks a heck of a lot better than my '06 - my aircon's are totally bashed up/almost flat over a large area from track abuse and 50k+ miles!

GSIRM3

That is the method I use also.

Rob Heath

Yes cardboard tube taped on the shop vac hose got the majority of leaves, bugs and the cigarette butt out.

Add checking those front radiators to my maintenance list.

Thanks!

Harvey in FL

This is what I use....measure the distances between the fins and buy the appropriate size hose and connect to shop vac. I believe the length is 2 1/2 ft. The small gray connector is not needed.

Good luck,

911Steve

I just use my hands to pull everything out...funny thing I continually pull out cigarette butts, they must be flying up from the fwy traffic

GreggT

Every time I rinse off the cars (at self-serve wand-type washer) I spray out radiator cavities. They are always kept clean.
Just a couple seconds of spray with wand poked inside the grill drives any junk to the center and out.........your's will take a bit longer

Macster

No I'm sorry that doesn't work. While some of the lighter fluffy stuff gets "washed" out the heavier stuff just gets wet and more compact.

This washing can't remove the considerable amount of material that gets between the condenser and the radiator.

You should book the car in and have the bumper cover removed, the tech will unbolt the condenser and swing it out of the way and thoroughly clean all the trash and dirt out of that area.

Then you are better off *not* using water in an attempt to remove that trash but instead use some kind of air -- shop air or a leaf blower -- to blow the stuff out while it is dry and loose.

Do this every so often. Before wet weather sets in and if you drive all year 'round after the weather has been dry for a while. You should probably have (or do it yourself) the bumper cover removed and the cleaning done once year given where you live. (I lived in the midwest and with all the plant trash, leaves in the fall, grass clippings, etc, the radiator ducts were full of paper trash, cig butts, leaves, dead insects, plant trash, seeds (cottonwood the worst) almost everything under the sun but the kitchen sink. These cars with the radiator fans running are just hoover vacuum cleaners sucking the trash off the road.)

GreggT

Whatever.....it's 'worked' for me for 10-15 yrs.....have several Pcars.
Maybe because it's something I do every rinse....5 seconds...nothing ever accumulates.
Whatever works for you.....my radiators have nothing in them.

wc11

I remove what i can by hand.
Then it's the garden hose & a shop vac.
All the gravel and little bits are stirring around in the water just waiting to be sucked up.
Works like a charm all the time.