Before you install your radiator in the trashcan, consider a chemical cleaning combined with the gentle touch of a fin comb.
If you look at the picture, you know I`ll be very busy tomorrow.
On the very left side there`s one of the best goodies I got today.
This liquid is non-acidic, used by hvac guys to clean ac units/huge rooftop condensers etc without killing themselves.
It`s very powerful (&dangerous) so you`ll need gloves and eye protection.
Take 1part of blue coil cleaner,add 3 parts water, put this into a chemical resistant sprayer that has not only spray but a stream function also. Take your garden hose and always keep it nearby.
Cover everything on car that you don`t want to `destroy`. On a d24t, I removed grille, misc plastic trim behind bumper, radiator upper brackets,a few screws, shroud,etc. For next time I`m planning to use a plastic tarp to protect the engine area well (hoses,plastics,wiring).
After removing front fan, I sprayed the area, both sides, very rich. Lifted and tilted radiator and did the same. Wait for 5-8 minutes. Coil cleaner will foam up, bringing out all the junk you have in there.
I got bird feathers, mud, broken glass pieces, hair, west coast pine needles wedged in there, some so deeply you`d never
ever reach them with any tool. I did take out over 400 (yes that many) rocks of different sizes. I used a set of pick tools to do so, took me long hrs, ask me how I know… It was a joy spraying it down to wait for the fun part. (After the clean-up I went back and attacked it again, finding `new` rocks again, many of them)
Drink a beer and come back in 8minutes to rinse the hell out of those coolers. Better doing it from rear towards the front as they got in there the opposite way. Rinse it again and again, don`t be cheap, you want every bit of that coil poison off your car. I used soo much water!
but the rad pictures talk.
The coil cleaner removed EVERYthing from inside so perfectly that I can see through (where the fins are not too bent). People with strong nerves handle that too... but I grabbed a fin tool to be my slave with good results.
ZERO crap left in there! Since replacing the punctured heater hose, my temp gauge stops earlier, a little below the middle. I`m sure this radiator CPR helps some too.
PRO-BLUE Heavy Duty Coil Cleaner, 1G=$12, I used 15% of it only, applied twice& I sprayed a lot!
Worth a try cleaning rads. I heard of citric acid being a great cleaner of the INSIDE of radiators. I`m wondering what would this coil stuff do in there…IDK. Flush the heck out of it, for sure.