Radiator cleaning

Dieselrider · Jul 3, 2011

I have a 79 JD 2640 that has been running hot so I have pulled the radiator and found the fins nearly blocked solid with crud. I have been using compressed air and water as well as just picking at the gunk to try to get this clean. How much air or water pressure is too much and would bend the fins?
Is there a better solution to this slow process? Thanks

rustred · Jul 3, 2011

i use a washgun for washing out rads. biggest thing is to hit it straight on at 90 degree's or else you will bend the fins over. even better is hot water and soap mixture. air by itself dont do too much. set at 700-800 psi gives good results about a foot or so away from rad.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 3, 2011

Soak overnight in GP66 or purple power and water solution, in a tank sufficiently large enough, for the fins to be totally covered with the solution. Then pressure wash, taking care to hit it too hard, with the nozzle, in a way that will bend the fins. I have pressure washed radiators, with a heated, and unheated pressure washer, up to 1500 PSI, and never had a problem. Only one that I had a problem with is one that was so rotted out, you could see the freeze splits, in the tubes!

fixerupper · Jul 3, 2011

Like the others said, soak it, then hit it with pressurized water, blow it out with air. If the air blows muddy water out, or back at you, hit with the water again, then air again etc until clean. It takes a long time to soak through all that hard caked dirt. Note I didn't say 'pressure washer'. A properly used pressure washer is really good but not a necessity. I used to clean combine rads with a five gallon water fire extinguisher, the kind you put water in and then pressurize with the air compressor. Shot soapy water through first then clear followed with compressed air. I was out in the middle of nowhere with no pressure washer so that was what I had to work with and it worked well.

A little over a month ago I spent four hours on a 4650 rad. Took that long until I could finally blow clean water back out of it using the air wand. If any fins are bent, dirt will be hiding behind them. Jim

Tony in Mass. · Jul 3, 2011

Yeeeahhh, it is better to spend more time trying to wash out the inside of the tubes, with clean or soapy pressurized water, than pressure washing the fins outside. Just for time's sake. The fins will flatten out, and make matters worst, so you have to take hours with a pair of needle nose and straighten every one of them- carefully. I just clean the fins out with a garden hose on normal/low pressure, give it time to soak and loosen the crud, then hose again, eventually you will have a good job without costing money or breaking anything....

Dean · Jul 3, 2011

You cannot hurt it with a garden hose. DO NOT use a pressure washer unless you really know what you are doing.

If you hook your hose to hot water it will be much more effective.

Compressed air is very effective on dry dirt but less so on accumulated debris that has been oil or even water wetted.

My neighbor has a JD 2940 and he had a similar problem. It turns out that he had an oil leak (PS or oil cooler, cannot remember) allowing oil mist onto the radiator, which, of course, caused all dust and debris to stick. Once he repaired the oil leak, he had no further problems.

Dean

Anonymous-0 · Jul 3, 2011

There is a tool, if you do bend some fins. I know Snap on sells it, anyway I think it's called a fin comb. It looks like a piece of hexagon, or octagon shaped nylon, with different fins per inch, on each flat surface. Kinda like a thread restoring file, only for radiator fins.

JDseller · Jul 4, 2011

You can use a pressure washer just don"t use it with the pressure turned up all of the way. Even then just use some common sense and stay away from it by at least 12 inches. Since you have the radiator off you can get a straight shot thru it. You may not be able to get it with just low pressure water and compressed air. Hot water really works the best.

You should check with a local radiator shop. Some of them are very reasonable on cooking them out. One of the local ones here will cook it over night and pressure test it for $75. That way you will know it is good and clean. Plus no leaks.

It is amazing how tight the dirt can get lodged into them.

Leroy · Jul 4, 2011

I have use high pressure on all machines when I was farming with no problems but I think my unit is good for 750 to perhaps a thousand pound pressure and not the 1,500 or 3,000 pounds that some of the newer pressure washers will put out. Mine is probably 30 years old.

Radiator cleaning

Dieselrider

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rustred

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Anonymous-0

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fixerupper

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Tony in Mass.

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Dean

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Anonymous-0

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JDseller

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Leroy

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