Radiator cleaning questions (2.3L)

[Fillups]

My 2022 2.3L was running too warm on a recent road trip, especially on the uphill climbs. Most of my daily driving is local, 40 mph stuff, and it seems fine at those speeds, short drives.

We did some muddy trails this Spring, and I rinsed it well, but probably not well enough. Wondering if anyone has had success with the Radiator Genie wands? And should I be pre-treating with a cleaner like for AC condenser coils? The attached pic is something available at Lowe's.

Thx!

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[Desert_Brush]

What temps were you seeing and how was the weather?

 

[Fillups]

On the flats we were running 210 to 215, but on longer climbs we crossed 230 several times and got the "reduced power" message on the dash once. This was on Northeast TN, afternoon temps were in the mid-80's.

Manual transmission, and I always to keep the tach at 2k or above on hills, so usually 5th gear uphill on the highway, 6th gear on flats runs.

 

[CalvinT]

My 2022 2.3L was running too warm on a recent road trip, especially on the uphill climbs. Most of my daily driving is local, 40 mph stuff, and it seems fine at those speeds, short drives.

We did some muddy trails this Spring, and I rinsed it well, but probably not well enough. Wondering if anyone has had success with the Radiator Genie wands? And should I be pre-treating with a cleaner like for AC condenser coils? The attached pic is something available at Lowe's.

Thx!

To me it looks like a solution in search of a problem. I've never needed such a product on any car I've owned. All were Arizona cars.

 

[Desert_Brush]

To me it looks like a solution in search of a problem. I've never needed such a product on any car I've owned. All were Arizona cars.

But he has a problem. Overheating possibly due to mud in the radiator fins.

 

[Fillups]

To me it looks like a solution in search of a problem. I've never needed such a product on any car I've owned. All were Arizona cars.
[/QUOTE

To me it looks like a solution in search of a problem. I've never needed such a product on any car I've owned. All were Arizona cars.

Here in Southern OH and central KY, mud and deep-ish water is unavailable on our trails. This type of mud is probably not ab AZ issue.

I've never lost an alternator like many with 2.7's have on the same rides, but it's fairly deep. And the fans run and slings it up even higher unfortunately. So I know I need a more thorough cleaning.

 

[CalvinT]

But he has a problem. Overheating possibly due to mud in the radiator fins.

I've just used a garden hose with a spray nozzle with nylon brush to clean a radiator or condenser. Maybe with an attachment that lets you apply Simple Green or something similar.

I don't think an aerosol can will work on mud build up. Those products are intended for an A/C tech to carry in his tool kit when working on a building's A/C.

 

[HBTFD 2.0]

A hose sprayer and several minutes will take care of any mud.

 

[RedBeardoh]

Idk how your Bronco is set up, but mine being a manual Sasquatch I don’t ever climb a hill below 3k. At 2k on flat ground mine seems starved of power and really likes being above 2600. I wonder if staying out of boost while in a climb could be contributing to your heat gain?

 

[Fillups]

That's a fair point - higher RPM may help, but I think only marginally. I have the split gauge with boost up on the dash all the time. I have noticed as long as I'm above 2K on flat or smaller hills, the 2.3 builds boost to hold or accelerate without downshift. Steeper hills, that threshold is more like 2500 RPM. So I don't think it's lugging, but can try a higher RPM range.

But my driving style hasn't changed and engine temp was not an issue before the muddy trails. I'm gonna remove the plastic cap behind the grill to see if more thorough rinsing helps.

 

[brkdncr]

Pics of your radiator would help. A hose should be all you need.

the temp you see on the gauge is oil or trans temp, not the water temp. Temp is a more typical gauge under the speedo.

running low rpms under load could also mean high turbo boost for extended periods, which can really bring up temps.

is the rad the same for both the 2.3 and 2.7? My 2.7 occasionally sees high oil temps but water has stayed right in the middle.

I’ve also noticed that if my oil temp is warm, turning the a/c on drops the oil temps really quick.

 

[GA2Dr]

Also, according to people who know a lot more than me (e.g. Ducati) the oil temp gauge is an "inferred" reading, meaning there is not actually an oil temp sensor. Not sure how the Bronco infers the temperature, but given that I'm also not sure how accurate it is.

 

[zyglyrox]

That's a fair point - higher RPM may help, but I think only marginally. I have the split gauge with boost up on the dash all the time. I have noticed as long as I'm above 2K on flat or smaller hills, the 2.3 builds boost to hold or accelerate without downshift. Steeper hills, that threshold is more like 2500 RPM. So I don't think it's lugging, but can try a higher RPM range.

But my driving style hasn't changed and engine temp was not an issue before the muddy trails. I'm gonna remove the plastic cap behind the grill to see if more thorough rinsing helps.

i usually don’t let it make more than 4-5 psi of boost in 5th gear. any more “load” than that and i’ll drop to 4th. ecoboosts used to be notorious for low speed pre ignition issues, makes engines go pop lol. its why the early fiesta / focus ST tunes got nicknamed “ecobooms”

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