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I have used 1/8" hardware cloth(screen) on my F250 trucks, '69-2000& present-2019 with no overheating problems towing in 100 plus dessert temps. check tie wraps regularly as they dry out and break allowing screen to rub on cond. or radiator and cause leak. BTDT-----Lou-----
1000 bucks...use some compressed air and a fin comb and do it yourself.
Petty being so critical about this. You have no idea how badly his fins are plugged and how hard it will be to just get a comb in behind the grill to do the job. Most likely the grill will have to be removed to do the job correctly. JMHO Also if you have ever blown out a radiator with compressed air then you do realize you can easily bend the fins flat.
I get what @Y2KW57 is saying and the argument makes sense. I've run a screen on the front of our diesel pickup, the previous owner put it there, and it's now over 20 years old. We've pulled our fiver over much of the US in hot summers. Also have one on my 23 year old mustang since new. While I can understand how it might cause issues, I haven't seen any.
The screen keeps out the bugs and rock chips but I have noticed dust can accumulate so an occasional hose spray is a good idea.
1000 bucks...use some compressed air and a fin comb and do it yourself.
The fins weren't particularly damaged. However, bug particles and grime had gone past the AC condenser and plugged up the radiators (plural). You can't blow out multiple layers of coolers with an air hose once they are actually plugged up. Especially from the front side.
Originally Posted by schrod
Petty being so critical about this. You have no idea how badly his fins are plugged and how hard it will be to just get a comb in behind the grill to do the job. Most likely the grill will have to be removed to do the job correctly. JMHO Also if you have ever blown out a radiator with compressed air then you do realize you can easily bend the fins flat.
Correct. The grille, bumper, and top core support has to come out. The AC system also has to be vacuumed out and break the lines to get the condenser out of the way to remove all the coolers from the truck to steam clean them out. If that didn't have to be done I would have done it myself over a weekend (which would have turned into two weekends).
O-rings on coolant lines were starting to leak as well when it was really cold so replaced most of those while it was apart. One of the radiators was starting to get crusty at the tank seams so that was replaced at the same time. Shop said he replaces a lot of 6.7 radiators that start leaking. By the time I added a transmission service the bill was $1900. Just so you guys know what you're in for when you hit 140k miles.
The last comment about being analytical was humorous and true... in that there have been many analytical, computational, as well as experimental evaluations of bug screens over front grill areas.
Figure 3.23 below represents a graph of one such study, that was partially conducted at the Ford of Australia Climatic Wind Tunnel, as well as at the GM Holden Proving Grounds, in coordination with the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
The book is 482 pages of "analysis", with more words and equations than there are bugs in front of that Pete, but the image below succinctly summarizes the results of many multiples of instrumentation and actual measurements, rather than just theoretical computation.
Since a radiator's job is to dissipate heat, the desired metric of measurement in the graph below is Specific Dissipation, shortened to "SD."
The blue line represents the base line.
The green line represents the addition of the bug screen. (resulting in less dissipation of heat at all speeds)
The gray line represents the addition of an air dam. (resulting in more dissipation of heat at all speeds)
The magenta line represents the application of the engine fan (resulting in significantly more dissipation of heat at lower road speeds, with demonstrably diminishing effects at higher road speeds)
When the 4WD air dams are removed, and bug screens are added, it appears that the native factory design of speed aided cooling efficiency could be compromised.
It is likely that the thermostat senses any deficit in natural heat dissipation in the form of higher temperatures, and turns on the engine fan, which is very effective at compensating, especially at lower road speeds.
The effective power of the engine fan could be why owner actions that undermine the cooling system, such as adding a bug screen or removing the air dam, are not noticed, because of the overwhelming power of the fan.
But that's just it... a powerful fan takes power to run, robbing horsepower from the engine, reducing the entire efficiency of the ensemble.
Even electric fans require power, as supplied by the alternator, driven by the engine, demanding more fuel consumption.
Cumulative consequences are not easily discerned in a single trip. If there is a cost to be paid, it will be in tiny increments over a long period of time, and as such, may not be noticed or even matter to most.
But whether or not an effect is casually observed doesn't necessarily mean that a cause doesn't carry a consequence.
I did well at thermodynamics and didn't learn a thing. I wasn't interested. I also have never been an engineer but have worked on many engineering projects. Therefore I feel completely free to discuss engineering procedure without being encumbered by sticky little unimportant things like facts.
There is a line missing on the graph. It represents an aged radiator with inefficiencies due to deformed or clogged fins. Where I live during snow season radiator fins are battered by gravel. The Ford engineers know this and I expect (I don't know this) have *to*some*degree* taken this into account. Expressed differently, they have designed in some tolerance for inefficiency.
If you encumber your radiator and make up for it with extended fan time and it's fuel consumption (and assuming downtime is free) then you can chose to a) pay for fuel now or b) pay for a radiator later. The choice is either a) your money or b) your money.
At my stage of life my truck is seldom pushed and never pushed hard. When I get over my current multi-year lazy spell some expanded metal is going in.
If there is lack of a consensus on whether adding a mesh/screen/material impacts the cooling ability of the system, what to do about the gaping maw directly in front of the bottom of the radiator? My 2023 HO is in the shop getting a new radiator as the previous radiator was hit by a rock that caused a pinhole leak in between the fins. Originally I thought it was a leaking water pump or something else, took it to the dealership as the truck only has 16.6k miles on it. Dealer sent me a video showing clear as day damaged fins and coolant shooting out.
If there is lack of a consensus on whether adding a mesh/screen/material impacts the cooling ability of the system, what to do about the gaping maw directly in front of the bottom of the radiator?
I put some alu mesh on the inside of the grille, but realized I missed exactly the spot you are likely describing.
Adding mesh to that area is on the list of things-to-do:
I took off the front grill to install screen door screen directly over the radiator. Does a great job keeping the bugs and crap out of the fins. I did this four years ago and never have a problem running hot. I tow a lot and live in Phoenix where it is usually 110 degrees in the Summer. Suppose to be 107 today. (sucks!)
As long as the screen/mesh is actually "touching" the rad, intercooler... There will be "minimal" loss in heat transfer, and even if there is some loss, the fan would easily take care of any loss up to the point where FORD Co. decided, how big to make the intercooler/rad to make it still work with a lot of fins bent, and blocking airflow... BUT, if the "screen" is even an inch before, the intercooler/radiator all bets are off, as, air turbulence will, effect the cooling big time when the fan isn't on... JMO
Interesting topic. Just a FYI but all screens aren't created equally; I buy/use screen for work and I have a catalogue showing various screen types, weaves and materials. There are dozens of materials available, different kinds of weaves (also called woven wire cloth) with varying opening sizes and equivalent open area. For stainless steel woven mesh, open area can go from a low of 41.3% to a high of 79.6%; quite a difference.
If I was going to add a protective screen, I'd go on the high open area side recognizing most things that can damage a fin are going to be larger than even the larger screen openings. I'd also go stainless as it has higher strength which will mean smaller wire size, increasing airflow vs. some other materials.
I'd also go stainless as it has higher strength which will mean smaller wire size, increasing airflow vs. some other materials.
Good point!
I went with cheap aluminum, and am convinced any stones that hit it will go right through. My thinking is that it will slow the projectile down just enough to not puncture the radiator. But yeah, it may be so flimsy, the pebble/stone/rock will simply go through the mesh I installed AND the radiator!
