Radiator airflow

[swreeder]

I own a MT352HC with a cab and ran into some issues this week dealing with the stacked radiators. My normal operating procedure is if brush hogging or running in dusty conditions, every hour I take a leaf blower and blow the dust / dirt out of all the coils, and when not overly dust/dirty I blow out when I put my tractor away.

This week I thought the cab felt warmer than normal when operating. I figured it was due to a regen that happened when operating. On the second day of use, I noticed the cab warming up again, the the tractor temp gage still remained low.

Upon further inspection I discovered that the middle radiator (there are three stacked in this tractor) was plugged with powdery dust. The leaf blower would not remove it. So I tried blowing it out with an air compressor and a radiator genie. No luck, event at 100 PSI, I could not get it clean.

So I let the tractor cool down, and used a radiator genie with water and finally got it cleaned out.

It’s been wicked dry here in Texas and it creates a condition where we get powdery dusty everywhere, it is super fine and not sure what made it stick to the middle radiator.

Interesting the other radiators in the tractor were fine and my leaf bowing technique appeared to have kept them clean. Something to watch for if you feel the AC not quite working like it should.

 

[swreeder]

Picture of config. I believe it’s oil radiator, then AC, followed by removable screen, then engine radiator and the fan behind it all.

 

[jaxs]

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

You want powdery dust... come over to NM! I haven't seen this much dust in 20 years. It's really dry.... no precip in 76 days so far....

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Just driving the tractor without doing any work kicks up a dust cloud. I was doing some loader work the other day.... EVERYTHING got covered with dust. The end of the day always includes using the radiator genie!

 

[Bearsixty7]

I would be concerned there is some oil or fluid seeping out of or onto that cooler that the dust packed into. Otherwise why would it pack and the other 2 not? Are the fins closer than the other 2?

 

[5030]

Be sure to check your air cleaner element too. What is in your rad is also in the air cleaner. With the price of diesel today, all that more important to keep it breathing easily. Every night when I come in from the field, first thing that gets attention is the rad and heat exchangers followed by the air cleaner and then the dipsticks and finally tire pressures. I always use a genie with water, never compressed air. High pressure air can fold over the rad fins.

 

[swreeder]

I would be concerned there is some oil or fluid seeping out of or onto that cooler that the dust packed into. Otherwise why would it pack and the other 2 not? Are the fins closer than the other 2?

The fins are SUPER tight in the AC radiator and they also have another set of cooling fins for a fuel cooler stacked right up against it somewhat restricting airflow. It’s not the best design for airflow across it and if you never experienced Texas dust, it sticks to EVERTHING. My wife calls it moon power as its more powder than dust.

Good overview of the setup and cleaning here: Super Cleaning LS coolers

 

[5030]

Been using a Genie for years now. One caution and that is, be careful with your air pressure. The fins on the radiators are aluminum and can be deformed with excessive pressure. My suggestion is under 60 psi. The other issue is airflow through all the various coolers before the air gets to the fan blades to get sucked through. In my case, I don't have HST tractors so my oil cooler is much smaller but I still have one plus the ac condenser and the hydraulic oil cooler, still a lot of 'coolers' for the rad fan to suck air through, especially at low rpm's. What I did was, I added a 12 volt fan directly in front of the ac condenser with a switch that I can turn it on and off with and when I'm in the field, I can switch it on and that really helps with the airflow at low engine rpm and keeps the ac running efficiently. You can buy them on Amazon or Flea bay.

I blow out my rad and heat exchangers every evening when I come in from working without fail and once a week, I switch over to water and flush them out as well.

 

[charles todd]

Does your AC condenser slide out? The AC condenser on my P7010C is on a track and the hoses have a loop in them. Remove 4 hand bolts to remove lower fairing then loosen 2 hand bolts to slide a plate over. Then unplug the pressure switch connector and the condenser slides all the way out. Can clean both sides and make it easier to get to radiator and oil cooler. No screen.

CT