Ok, just wondering if anyone has some good tips for getting dead bugs off of the front of the radiator?

Wash the Shelby this morning and had a ton of bugs on the front of both radiators. I gently rinsed it off with the hose (trying not to bend the radiator fins.) Then I used my hand to brush off the fins gently. I'm thinking of using a fine bristled brush or something along those lines.

What has everyone else done??

 

Be careful and don't use any type of wire brush. You can easily bend the soft levels of the radiator. I would try to just rinse them as much as possible.

Someone I know, not saying who used to be so OCD obsessed that they would take a non pointed end of a a thin but firm object, reach into the fascia and carefully pick the bugs out one by one. ..Also carefully re-straightening out any radiator fins that were dented due to rocks.

 

I use this:

 

I used bug and tar remover for the nose today (which worked great) and was also thinking of using that also for the radiator. Will have to give it a try!

 

There is a product called "Bugs-B-Gone" that you might use if you can find it.

And the problem with just hosing the radiator down from the front is that it has a tendency to push the bugs and debris further down into the fins, really needs to be back flushed but that is hard to do with the radiator in the car.

 

I haven't tried it yet, but have seen several references to using hydrogen peroxide on them, either straight, or diluted 50% with water. Let sit for a while, then hose off with water.

 

http://bossmustangsonline.com/index....46032#msg46032

 

That was interesting. I likey

 

Rich, your idea is great, except with the open front grill in the Shelby, the brown screen would be less appealing lol However, your idea got us thinking...

I spoke with my husband and he was thinking about purchasing a piece of screen from the local hardware store and painting it black. We could place that over the front of the radiator and pull it out for easy clean up.

Hopefully, we can place the screen in and have little to no bugs on the radiator.

 

Aren't we really taking about the AC condenser here folks?

It just bugs me.

The radiator sits behind the condenser and in front of the fan.

 

Yes. And to remove the bugs that have been plastered against the fins, I use a soft brush, simular to an old toothbrush to gently brush then off. For any bent fins that may have happened due to a rock or pebble striking the fin(s), I use an old baby fork (a small flat blade screw driver is also good) to straighten out the fins.

I don't see how spraying cleaners onto the bugs that are plastered on the fins is going to work without using a soft brush to dislodge them.

 

Rich, the F-150 is terrible for this also. I went to the local Autozone, and bought one of those old style bug screens that are used for the front. I cut it to fit, then pinned it to the frame in front of the radiator/tranny cooler. Works great, and only cost seven bucks. I was large enough to have an extra piece when needed. I know the Mustang radiator is a bit more difficult to get to, but wanted to let you know how I cured the problem on my truck to give you some ideas. FYI, it doesn't cause any air flow problems either.

 

It's not a perfect removal but gets the bulk of them. I drive through clouds of small midge bugs (gnat size) along the lake. The remover 'unsticks' them and the hose nozzle blasts most of them out. Without the remover, the gluey bug juice prevents the hose from removing many of them.

As for using a brush and screwdriver, that is so for down my list of crap to do that I can't see that far.