Debris (leaves, cigs, particles, etc.) stuck on radiator

[bluesyguy89]

Hey guys -
Is there anything I should be worried about if the radiator of my M4 has some debris stuck to it? I'm referencing the area inside of the black mesh grilles located on the center of the front bumper (between the left and right openings).

Was driving on the freeway and some weird styrofoam/cardboard particles flew at my car out of nowhere, now they are in the vent in front of/stuck to my radiator.

Thanks!

[bb1857]

Originally Posted by bluesyguy89

Hey guys -
Is there anything I should be worried about if the radiator of my M4 has some debris stuck to it? I'm referencing the area inside of the black mesh grilles located on the center of the front bumper (between the left and right openings).

Was driving on the freeway and some weird styrofoam/cardboard particles flew at my car out of nowhere, now they are in the vent in front of/stuck to my radiator.

Thanks!

Nope you are fine but jest keep an eye on your temp gauge. If you see it rise abnormally then just pressure wash(carefully) some of the crap out and all will be well. Mine was full of leaves this past weekend during a spirited group ride and had no ill effects.

[vfrooom]

I have similar problems, but with grasshoppers...

Post about cleaning bugs out of my radiators

I found that getting a plunger grabber and carefully cleaning things out from the front produced the best results.

[bluesyguy89]

Originally Posted by bb1857

Nope you are fine but jest keep an eye on your temp gauge. If you see it rise abnormally then just pressure wash(carefully) some of the crap out and all will be well. Mine was full of leaves this past weekend during a spirited group ride and had no ill effects.

Thank you - this is helpful!

[bluesyguy89]

Originally Posted by vfrooom

I have similar problems, but with grasshoppers...

Post about cleaning bugs out of my radiators

I found that getting a plunger grabber and carefully cleaning things out from the front produced the best results.

Thanks! Haha, that's crazy. Looks like you figured out a good solution though.

[Kbueno]

Glad I'm not the only one with this issue. I ain't waiting till it blocks proper radiator flow either..I typically do a heavy hosing every month or so. It would be nice if there was an access point to clean more thoroughly, but there are radiators on all sides! They have certainly engineered the cooling in this beast to the max

[bluesyguy89]

Originally Posted by Kbueno

Glad I'm not the only one with this issue. I ain't waiting till it blocks proper radiator flow either..I typically do a heavy hosing every month or so. It would be nice if there was an access point to clean more thoroughly, but there are radiators on all sides! They have certainly engineered the cooling in this beast to the max

Agreed. I think the bi-weekly wash should hopefully keep him clean.

[x.shell]

Originally Posted by vfrooom

I have similar problems, but with grasshoppers...

Post about cleaning bugs out of my radiators

I found that getting a plunger grabber and carefully cleaning things out from the front produced the best results.

Damn. That's the grossest thread ever... even grosser than that wide body thread.

[Kbueno]

Older thread, but I coulda swear someone said there was an access panel to do the cleaning?

[brownb_2]

Originally Posted by bb1857

Nope you are fine but jest keep an eye on your temp gauge. If you see it rise abnormally then just pressure wash(carefully) some of the crap out and all will be well. Mine was full of leaves this past weekend during a spirited group ride and had no ill effects.

But the temp gauge is for oil not water...

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by brownb_2

But the temp gauge is for oil not water...

Oil temperature is a more accurate depiction on engine temperature. If the engine is not getting enough cooling, it will show very quickly on the oil temperature.

[Invictus]

It's a risk we run with blistering speed and eye-popping responsiveness.

As long as there are no deep gouges or big dents in the radiator, you should be ok. A leak would be bad but if your coolant pressure and engine temperature are ok, your car should be ok.

[Gunfighter420]

What I've done with all my past cars, a Lexus IS250, Nissan Armada, etc... and currently my M4 is drape a big piece of window screen material from Home Depot in front of any radiator and or oil cooler fins. If any debris get stuck on the screen I just spray wash it off every wash or just blow it off with an air compressor with a long tip in between washes. The screen is held in place with black plastic tie wraps and use black screen. It acts as a first barrier and best to do it once you buy your car. I'd rather do that than to push any debris deeper into the fins of the radiator with a spray washer or air hopefully expelling out the back. Plus there may be multiple coolers in front of each other and blowing debris out one onto the other behind it if any. Its kinda' impossible to get a air hose or spray wash behind the radiator and push out the debris out the front again onto the next layer of cooler if any. The draped screen and tie wraps is very inexpensive less than $10 for a roll of screen and some tie wraps. Cant even tell its behind the grilles unless you get your face all up in there in front of your car putting grease marks off your nose onto the paint. LOL! Oh...and I also tie wrapped screen in front of my intakes. I did catch small leaves and other crap in my intake box in my past cars.

[FC]

Originally Posted by Gunfighter420

What I've done with all my past cars, a Lexus IS250, Nissan Armada, etc... and currently my M4 is drape a big piece of window screen material from Home Depot in front of any radiator and or oil cooler fins. If any debris get stuck on the screen I just spray wash it off every wash or just blow it off with an air compressor with a long tip in between washes. The screen is held in place with black plastic tie wraps and use black screen. It acts as a first barrier and best to do it once you buy your car. I'd rather do that than to push any debris deeper into the fins of the radiator with a spray washer or air hopefully expelling out the back. Plus there may be multiple coolers in front of each other and blowing debris out one onto the other behind it if any. Its kinda' impossible to get a air hose or spray wash behind the radiator and push out the debris out the front again onto the next layer of cooler if any. The draped screen and tie wraps is very inexpensive less than $10 for a roll of screen and some tie wraps. Cant even tell its behind the grilles unless you get your face all up in there in front of your car putting grease marks off your nose onto the paint. LOL! Oh...and I also tie wrapped screen in front of my intakes. I did catch small leaves and other crap in my intake box in my past cars.

Just realize that bug screens may seem like they let a lot of air in, but some block 50% to 70% of the air. I find it amazing that you could get it to stay in place under high speeds to begin with, but you could potentially have a serious air flow problem with a bug screen on.

[Gunfighter420]

Yeah I realized that as well but I figured with bugs and debris getting stuck in the fins over time will also impede airflow through the fins just as much as the bug screen. I'd rather have the screen catch the debris preventing stuff getting stuck deep in the fins where it can be lodged permanently impeding airflow for good over time. I picked the widest screen mesh cause the fine stuff the holes are too small PLUS I don't drape the screen right on the radiator. I do it as close I can towards the front near the grilles so there still an air gap between radiator and screen so if the fan kicks on in traffic or a drive through, air will still bleed in from the sides top and bottom. I used crimp on eyelets on the screen to run the tie wrap through so it doesn't rip the material.

It's also easier for me to clean or replace the screen rather then try to brush, blow air or high pressure spray lodging material deeper into the radiator that you can't get to. In my past cars after years of owning them never had any overheating or performance drop that I can feel and I can see through every area of the radiator/oil cooler. Not one fin was clogged. Well maybe a few but 95% better than without a layer of screen and no dented fins.

Originally Posted by FC

Just realize that bug screens may seem like they let a lot of air in, but some block 50% to 70% of the air. I find it amazing that you could get it to stay in place under high speeds to begin with, but you could potentially have a serious air flow problem with a bug screen on.

[smm3]

Originally Posted by Kbueno

Older thread, but I coulda swear someone said there was an access panel to do the cleaning?

Just lower the oil cooler. It's actually pretty easy, I just did this to clean all the debris out of mine. Just remove the 2 plastic deflector lips, then the oil cooler guard. After that remove the 3 bolts holding the oil cooler and lower it down. I used my jack to hold the oil cooler up so the hoses weren't strained.

Not that great of a picture, but hopefully you can tell what kind of access you've got after lowering the oil cooler.