Radiator grill all bunged up

soforene

soforene

Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
21
Location
Wolverhampton UK
Bike
ST1300
Hi Guys,
I'm looking for some advice re: the Radiator on my 2005 ST1300.
On a recent run I checked the coolant level before and after and all was fine but at the end of the run I noticed some rusty water marks on the R/H fairing louvres that weren't there pre-ride.
A peek at the radiator showed that it was all bunged up with (presumably) years of detritus, so much so that I doubt any air was making it through to the fans.
I have noticed that the fans kick in a lot recently but the temp guage never rises above 3 bars.
I tried blasting the gunge clear with a pressure washer (on low level) but that didn't make any difference.
I then scraped away at the dirt and cleared about 5 of the horizontal lines of a fine dusty material.
However, I'm aware that there are many very fine vertical (aluminium?) "fins" within each of the horizontal slats.
Cleaning these out individually was a no-go due to the extremely small size so i just scraped them clear but thought I'd get some advice before going further.
  1. Could the bike have got "over temp" briefly and blew a bit of steam etc. out near the radiator cap resulting in the rusty water marks on the louvres but no significant reduction in the overall coolant level?
  2. Are the verticle fine fins necessary for the cooling effect of the radiator (i.e. am I "safe to continue scraping away all the crud)?
  3. Does anyone else suffer from "Dirty Radiator Syndrome" and if so, how did you clear it?
I'd welcome any suggestions/advice before I do any more tinkering.
Cheers.
Rad1.jpgRad2.jpgRad3.jpgRad4.jpg
 
Wow! This radiator is scrap... I'd ground the vehicle as risk of overheating seems imminent...

The horizontal water-pipes require the fins in between as surface to dissipate the heat/exchange with the ambient air (either forced through while in motion, or drawn by the fan...)

As said, get/install a new radiator and all will be fine again...
 
What is left of your radiator are the tubes that carry the water from the top to the bottom collector. The zig zag fins surrounding the tubes channel the air and transfer the heat from the coolant to the air flowing through the radiator. Without those fins, heat transfer plummets. Air conditioners in the US and some radiators have a series of straight vertical fins. HVAC (heating ventilating air conditioning) guys can buy and usually have* fin combs to straighten damaged fins when the unit is installed to make sure the unit will operate at maximum efficiency.

*Ok, I was not being facetious here. I own a set of fin combs - they come with different spacing - because I wanted to repair some of the damaged fins on my window A/C. I bought them at a HVAC supply house years ago. A friend in the business laughed when I asked him if he used them - he said if the unit was damaged that badly, he would simply not install it, and a few bent fins meant nothing.
 
It looks like you have been using a pressure washer on it. If the radiator needs cleaning from bugs, dirt, or mud it is better to pull it out and soak it as the aluminum fins are easy to bend.

You can get an original Honda radiator or there are some on Ebay from China that maybe cheaper for you.
 
SMSW said:
HVAC (heating ventilating air conditioning) guys can buy and usually have* fin combs to straighten damaged fins when the unit is installed to make sure the unit will operate at maximum efficiency.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I get the facetious remark.
I was thinking he could spend a lifetime straightening and cleaning those fins... OR buy a new radiator.
 
SMSW said:
A friend in the business laughed when I asked him if he used them - he said if the unit was damaged that badly, he would simply not install it, and a few bent fins meant nothing.
Click to expand...
LOL! :biggrin:
I'm in this trade and I use my thrusty Yellow Jacket fin-comb set quite often, mostly for cosmetic reasons though (i.e. fixing hail damage) so the client actually sees that a service has been done...

And I had corrosion/age caused fin detachment on the rad of my high miles '96 Toyota, noticeable by the temp gauge needle indicating slightly higher* then I was used too...
Inspected the engine bay, both fans functioning... glanced through the grille at the radiator... ah-ja! gotcha! New rad installed, coolant refilled, all perfect again...
*someting modern cars won't do anymore, they stop at the 90°C mark "to not worry the operator while in motion" ... original quote from a car sales representative... :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys (although not the answer I was hoping for).
I've already taken a look at what ebay has to offer and there's some in almost the same condition as mine for silly money. o_O
I've always resisted buying chinese copies but they are offering a new unit for not much more than dire second hand units.
Do I take a chance and possibly suffer buyers remorse ....

:(
Decision Decisions .......
 
Concur, there's a lot of damage done to that unit. A comb can't replace missing fins it's meant to straighten. Was it like that when you bought the bike or have you been doing some 'high pressure' cleaning around the area? If one were to even consider using a pressure washer around this area, I would think back to front (reverse direction of any debris that tried to make it through) and LOW (=distance) pressure first to see if the water would loosen anything first before trying to get it to move with the force behind the water, if even willing to go that far. No fins = minimal cooling (there'll still be some heat transfer but nothing near what it's designed to do when intact)
 
soforene said:
I've already taken a look at what ebay has to offer and there's some in almost the same condition as mine for silly money. o_O
Click to expand...
Doesn't look that bad there:

www.ebay.at

Radiator for Honda Pan European ST1300 A PA 2002-2019 Replacement 19010-MCS-G01 | eBay

Radiator for Honda Pan European ST1300 A PA 2002-2019 Replacement 19010-MCS-G01 | Vehicle Parts & Accessories, Motorcycle & Scooter Parts & Accessories, Engine Cooling | eBay!
www.ebay.at

same, shipped FOC directly from China:

www.ebay.at

Kühler Engine Radiator Cooler Fit For Honda ST1300 2003-2018 | eBay

Kühler Engine Radiator Cooler Fit For Honda ST1300 2003-2018 | Auto & Motorrad: Teile, Motorrad- & Rollerteile & -zubehör, Motorkühlung | eBay!
www.ebay.at

considering the brine you guys like to expose your rides to, parts like radiators get demoted to being "consumables" anyway... hence I wouldn't hesitate to grab one made out of Chinesium and throw it away every two years or so... ;)
 
That radiator looks like a clogged air filter. Or oil filter even. On the note of fin damage I replaced the factory screen that was meant to keep bocci balls from hitting the fits to a really nice very effective Rolls Royce still guard. It worked really well and I hand no overheating problems.

I thought I saw one for the ST but it didn't look very effective. A Blue One fender extender would probably be a big help. Is there a decent grill for the radiator that would protect it? I don't recall anyone here adding one.
 
Two points. The fins on even a new ST radiator are zig zag and cannot be 'combed'. Second...did not someone buy a Chinese radiator and have problems with it fitting? I don't remember the outcome, but I think another poster also used a Chinese replacement and it worked ok. @Sadlsor, do you remember these posts?
 
I have read nothing that conflicts with replacing the radiator and that is the best idea. I cannot see any reason to keep it except hanging on wall showing what they should never look like. The air flow has to go through the complete radiator as stated by all above. I have taken my radiator out and tried to carefully clean it by soaking it in warm water and picking the contaminants out, the result was limited because of the depth of the blockage.
Just put a new one in and forget about it, hurts but part of owning older fluid cooled motorcycles.
 
SMSW said:
@Sadlsor, do you remember these posts?
Click to expand...
You have lot of faith, thinking I can ever remember anything.
Seriously, there were some Asian knockoffs that seemed to have more plastic bits than what we would prefer. Plastic comes down to being VERY careful with your connections and your clamps, as well as reduced longevity.
Don't remember the particular sources, but they probably change periodically anyway.
In that environment, and with the known pitfalls, I would strongly consider some type of fender extender also.
I've not seen any type of grill or guard for our radiators, but we aren't exactly riding adventure bikes through boulder-strewn riverbed or busting through single-track with limbs and branches trying to eat our heat exchanging devices.
 
Maybe get a quote for a new central core, don't know where you are in the UK so unable to help any further there...
 
Sadlsor said:
You have lot of faith, thinking I can ever remember anything.
we aren't exactly riding adventure bikes through boulder-strewn riverbed or busting through single-track with limbs and branches trying to eat our heat exchanging devices.
Click to expand...
I do have a lot of faith - you seem to read everything here.
Oops - you must have forgotten that post with a link to a video of Goldwings off road. Watch this. ST's cannot be far behind
A second look and I was right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom