Where is the DOGGONE radiator??

[bamaboy473]

The coach is new to us, and sits low on the ground after leveling, so other things have occupied my time since purchase.

300HP Cummins DP with a rear radiator on a Freightliner chassis is what I think/thought I have, until I did some work under the front of the coach and saw...about 10' back from the front of the coach...what looks like a 12" or bigger radiator fan.

Would somebody educate me about where all this adds up? Rear Rad, but fan and maybe another rad up towards the front??

[Mr_D]

Our chassis air condenser is just in front of the drivers side front wheel.

[sledwest]

bet ya if you turn on the a/c that little fan will come on my last coach was set up like that it was the a/c condenser . really it is a good design.

[bamaboy473]

Originally Posted by sledwest

bet ya if you turn on the a/c that little fan will come on my last coach was set up like that it was the a/c condenser . really it is a good design.

On the off chance that the PO or the selling dealer didn't do anything to clean it, is there a drill to R&M that guy? 8 years old, 12,000 miles.

Guess I need to get a couple sections of 2x8s and drive the beast onto something that gives me a chance to scoot under it.

[Tony Lee]

The main thing that will need doing is to clean the rear radiator from all the dirt and oil sludge that builds up inside the core because the MH builders can't be bothered spending a few seconds to relocate the slobber tube.

If yours has a side radiator then it will be OK

[bamaboy473]

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

The main thing that will need doing is to clean the rear radiator from all the dirt and oil sludge that builds up inside the core because the MH builders can't be bothered spending a few seconds to relocate the slobber tube.

If yours has a side radiator then it will be OK

...so that fan under the coach isn't something that needs cleaning every once in awhile?

[bamaboy473]

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

The main thing that will need doing is to clean the rear radiator from all the dirt and oil sludge that builds up inside the core because the MH builders can't be bothered spending a few seconds to relocate the slobber tube.

If yours has a side radiator then it will be OK

Do you experts use heavy detergent, or radiator cleaner that HVAC guys use, or a pressure washer, or just garden hose?

[Bigd9]

The small "radiator" up front with the fan mounted to it is the chassis air conditioner condenser. If it is dirty just spray it off with a garden hose. Don't hit it too hard with the water or hit it from an angle because you could bend the aluminum fins. Check to be sure the fan operates when the dashboard air conditioner is activated.

The rear radiators (yes plural) are a bit stronger. There is one for the engine water and antifreeze mixture and one for cooling the air going into the engine. I clean the outside of these by spraying with Simple Green (the one safe for aluminum) from both sides and let it sit for an hour +-. Then start the engine and spray again from the inside so the fan drives the mixture through the fins, stop the engine and let it sit. Then hose it off from the outside and start the engine and hose it off again from the inside letting the fan drive the water through the fins. I don't use a pressure washer.

Just make sure nothing (like your wife's new car) is parked directly behind the coach!

[briankstan]

from my research what I ended up using is this. A mixture of Simple Green HD (aluminum safe) from home depot it's a purple color, Wesley's Bleach white tire cleaner from an autoparts store and dawn liquid dish soap.

I used the mixture full strength in a sprayer from home depot. Let is soak 15-20 minutes and rinsed with a pressure sprayer. People will say you don't need the pressure sprayer and it can bend the fins on the radiator. My pressure washer is only 1800psi and I didn't have any issues. if your using a 3 or 4000psi it might be a different story.

Make sure you get at the front of the CAC from the engine side and repeat as many times as you need to get it clean. spray from both engine side and radiator side. some even cut openings in the fan shroud to get better access. If you do that make sure you close it off.

Mine didn't look like it had ever been done and I have cleaned it 6 wash rinse cycles and I'm still not sure it's completely clean. It's a whole lot cleaner not but it's something that will be repeated at least 2 times a year as scheduled maintenance for me.

hope that helps.

[Dr4Film]

Or you can use this Coil Cleaner from Lowe's which is very good for rooftop A/C's.

Dr4Film ----- Richard