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Porsche Specialist Surrey, Porsche Specialist London, Porsche Specialist East Sussex, Porsche Specialist West Sussex, Porsche Specialist South

How easy is it to clean the rads really?

R

Rawhide

Silverstone
Joined
29 Jan 2007
Messages
143
Hi, I have some spare time due to family being abroad and am doing some basic maintenance on the fleet. I can see some leaves in the radiator area of my 997 but I expect it's just the tip of the iceberg and there would be more when the bumper is pulled.

How easy is this as a DIY job with just ONE person?

I'd hate to break anything or a scratch the bumper.
O
I've watched the 996 video on YouTube and it looks like a 5/10 job with 2 people.
 
The bumper cover (as that is all it is), is too big (wide) and flexible for one person to take off without the danger of scratching the bumper cover or the car in the process.

Relocation on refit is even more so, as you will need to simultaneously align both side runners, and ideally have someone hold it flush as you go round and bolt up the fixings.

The actual process is very simple: just removing all the securing bolts (although I'd also remove headlamps first, which is simple too)
 
Hoover with a flexi hose.
Job done. :thumb:
p.s. Ensure paintwork is covered up with some microfibres or masking tape.
 
I am planning to do this with ours - I want to pressure wash all the muck away and remove the stones / gravel that has collected over the years, then give everything a coat of satin black or similar to tidy them up.

If I get a chance, I'll post up pics when I do it...
 
GT4 said:
The bumper cover (as that is all it is), is too big (wide) and flexible for one person to take off without the danger of scratching the bumper cover or the car in the process.

Relocation on refit is even more so, as you will need to simultaneously align both side runners, and ideally have someone hold it flush as you go round and bolt up the fixings.

The actual process is very simple: just removing all the securing bolts (although I'd also remove headlamps first, which is simple too)
Click to expand...

Thanks - that was just the type of feedback I was looking for and situation I wanted to avoid.

I don't think hovering from the outside will get all the debris out as I see it can be accumlating between the air con and the rads which would not be visible with the bumper on.
 
It is possible to remove and refit the front PU liner on your own but it is a PitA. I don't actually have any friends so had to do this. :eek:

When you do get the liner off I would recommend cracking the bolts for the condensers and also cleaning between them and the cooling radiators as the debris can accumulate.

I also spent a little time cleaning under the boot trim at the sides and cleaned out behind the liner PU along with cleaning and silicon greasing the retaining clips by the lights. Whilst there check your horn too. :thumb:
 
I resorted to a hand from my 16 year old son and lots of shouting - make sure you mask the wings. You do not have to remove the headlights but beware that there are slide in clips either side under the headlights as well as the 20 or so screws to remove which I did all by myself (Aero Bumper is slightly different). Yo definitely need 2 people to get it back on - managing the wires and headlight washers was the biggest challenge - once on the sliders its a breeze.
 
michelin said:
Hoover with a flexi hose.
Job done. :thumb:
p.s. Ensure paintwork is covered up with some microfibres or masking tape.
Click to expand...

So you've never seen the gap between the condensers and rads?
 
Gollom122 said:
I resorted to a hand from my 16 year old son and lots of shouting - make sure you mask the wings. You do not have to remove the headlights but beware that there are slide in clips either side under the headlights as well as the 20 or so screws to remove which I did all by myself (Aero Bumper is slightly different). Yo definitely need 2 people to get it back on - managing the wires and headlight washers was the biggest challenge - once on the sliders its a breeze.
Click to expand...

You don't have to remove the headlamps, but it does present less surfaces to scratch or yet something else to have to wriggle to align around on refit.
 
Hoovering out via the front vents is superficial at best - lots of crud gets trapped out of sight, particularly between the zircon and water rads as GT4 has alluded to.

Removal of the front PU is the only real way to do it.
 
I don't actually have any friends so had to do this. :eek:

:floor:
 
plavix said:
When you do get the liner off I would recommend cracking the bolts for the condensers and also cleaning between them and the cooling radiators as the debris can accumulate.
Click to expand...

Top tip Sir!



 
timmio87 said:
Looks good Ian, did you manage to take your bumper off on your own?
Click to expand...

Thanks - I both took it off and replaced it on my own (not many helpful people are awake in our house at 7am on a Sunday). Really pleased with the end result too.

If I was doing this job again, I'd probably unplug the whole front bumper loom and leave the lights in situ - putting the loom correctly back under the various clips was probably one of the more painstaking jobs!

Couple of observations from doing mine would be that there is a hidden screw at the bumper to wing arch join which I initially missed and to get the sliding clips out adjacent to the headlights definitely needs a hook of some kind. I used a coat hanger and wrapped the end I was pulling around a screwdriver handle several times to give me some additional purchase - and it needed some serious pulling!
 
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