Whats the best way to clean the oil off the radiator while still in the truck. I would prefer not to remove it if at all possible. Steam clean ?

 

Steam cleaner would be great if you could get one. I sprayed mine down with engine cleaner and sprayed it from the inside with a garden hose. Also from the outside I used a pressure washer, but I stayed back a couple of feet so I didnt mess up the radiator. It's all shiny now.

 

If its dirty, my experience is that it cannot be cleaned in the truck, there's too much stuff in the way, fan/shroud, intercooler, tranny cooler, ac condenser. I used degreaser (couple of cans) and went to the car wash a couple times and Finially I removed the rad (took 20mins or so) and took the rad to the car wash it took 10$ and a can of drgreaser before clean water would pass thru the cores!! I do not care what anyone says it cannot be cleaned well while in the truck because you cannot get a wand in there to blow from the inside to outside. if you are lucky you might blow the oily crap off the outside of the rad but it will still have dirt/oil embedded inside the fins.

I'm sorry but there is no way to clean it properly unless you remove it, its not a hard job and you run less risk of damaging fins if you can apply water straight on vice at an angle

 

Careful with pressure washers. Don't want to bend the finns.
I would spray the front with a cleaner like Simply Green and flush from the backside. Only way to get it really clean.

RJ

 

I just get lots of degreaser on the crud and let it soak. You can make a spray bar to attach to your hose out of rigid plastic tube or even soft copper. Drill very small holes in a row the length of like six inches. This will then be able to slide in and blow the debris out of the radiator towards the motor. Hot water works even better.

 

Yup! Like one of these...
p....

RJ

 

Exactly...

 

I use it once a yr to get all the bugs and debris out from between the fins. Works like a charm. Should work equally well on grease & oil. Much easier than removing radiator for cleaning.

RJ

 

Thats all I do. Radiator has never been removed. Granted if you have it out do a good job of cleaning it.

Get the radiator good and hot. gunk it well and let it soak. Rinse it down hot water with the wand and it comes out very clean.

 

Does cleaning the radiator really make that muck of a noticeable difference?
What is the difference in engine temperature?

 

Depends. It can make a big difference. How dirty is your radiator?

RJ

 

the mud that gets acculimated in there would be the same as blocking the entire front of your truck with a piece of cardboard, in the winter time thats ok but come summer........

I like the homemade hose thingy, which I imagine is a great thing to do every year AFTER the first initial cleaning, I like it and will be making one too, thanks for the idea. Mine was so bad that no garden hose pressure EVER would have penetrated it, like I said it took 10$ at a car wash with the rad propped up against the wall, before the water ran clean through it. And this was after I had spend 2 or 3 attempts to clean it in the truck (at the car wash) I doubt mine had ever been cleaned at the time I did it, and at that time there was 300,000kms on the clock. there was no puke can and the hose was level with the bottom of the rad, the mud was 1/4 thick on the outside of it!

 

Just to avoid confusion, think you meant to say AWAY from the motor. At least that's what mine, pictured above, is designed to do.
Does a better job that way.

RJ

 

Hey RowJ, would it be possible to post a couple of close ups of that rad washer?? I would love to build one! Thanks!!

 

That pic is actually from member 'Crobtex'. Pulled it off his Photo Gallery since I ran out of room and erased mine. There are other pics there and his is the one I copied.

Send me your e-mail address and I'll send several pics of mine. I got hose valve at Walmart for $2.00. 3 ft of 3/4" copper tube at junk yard.... $$4.00. I JB Welded the end of the tubing shut and also used it to attach the nozzle/valve to the other end. Then I used a hack saw and cut a groove in flattened end of copper tube. Took all of an hr to make and works well.

RJ