hmmmm might have to be my next project
mine looks at least that bad if not worse
nice write up

 

with the gunk on the radiator the air doesn't flow through as well and really causes issues thats why there is the vent tube bomb. He also flushed the system and changed the stat. If the radiator was really bad I would say his temps would have been much greater.

 

The inside looks fine; no corrosion or plugged passages that I could see. Just because it is nasty on the outside, doesn't mean that it is nasty on the inside. The 2 have no correlation to each other. I highly recommend doing this maintenance.
Thanks for all the comments!

 

Right, but if it's that bad looking on the outside I would have to assume that it's fairly old which would mean the inside might need some attention that a "flush" won't fix. You can't really say there is no connection between the two. How do you know the inside is good? Did you cut it open and inspect it or are you just looking through the holes and saying it's ok because it looks good at that small section?

A radiator that is tore up and dirty as can be on the outside like it has been ran for a decade or so is ALOT more likely to have internal problems than a shiney new radiator that shows no signs of wear, unless of course it has a defect.


I'm not saying you're radiator has internal issues, but if my radiator were that bad I would be a little concerned with the insides.

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I understand the point of removing the "gunk". I'm not sure if a flush is the cure-all solution to a clogged radiator, but I guess it helps. We don't know what the temps are now while he's pulling his trailer so we can't really say for sure if this fixed his little problem. There could still be an issue.

 

If the radiator is bad on the inside, you will see it on any part of the inside. It will not look good on some and bad on other parts internally.
I also flushed the entire Rad out and all that was in there was the internal rubber pieces from the old T-stat. I will agree with you that if you have a 10 yr old rad that never has had any maintenance on it (regular flushes and fills) that it could look as bad as the outside. Especially if you use hard water to fill it up.
I should have taken pics from the inside on all hose connections and fill cap to show you. Next time I will.
However, I am not at all concerned about the inside of the radiator. It is a closed system that I have had since new, and I have taken care of it. The outside of the radiator is out of your control.

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I haven't pulled the trailer yet. However, my temps are now 180-185, whereas before they were 190-195 without pulling the trailer. Just looking at the dirty radiator you could tell that there was serious airflow impediment.

 

take it for what its worth but in my experience the most of the internal crud tends to build up at the ends of the tubes which does just happen to be where u can see it if u look. also i find that age really doesnt seem to have near as much to do with it as the maintenance done. regular flushes dont even seem to be as important as the quality of the coolant its self. and dont be deceived into thinking that new antifreeze is the cure all. it isnt even treated properly for maximum system life. u need cooling system conditioner additive. BG is the first high quality product that comes to mind. ph is also a major factor. u need to balance the acidity of ur cooling system just like u do ur swimming pool. if the coolant has been maintained properly the outside of the radiator is the only thing u will ever need to worry about.

 

I agree! Fleetguard has test strips that test pH and additive content. They are handy to have!