well.... i was actually washing the jeep (second time since i got it, in July)
and i noticed the A/C condensor thing in front of the radiator.... up close...

well, its not FULL, but its got a LOT of little tiny rocks stuffed in the fins.

must have been from driving in the flood waters around town... since thats the only water its ever been in (besides a car wash).

now the question is..? how to get them OUT...???

High pressure from the engine bay side and blow them out?
shop vac...?
or pick them out individually.... ???

 

I don't have a good recommendation for you, but I can tell you what not to do. Don't use high presssure in this area. I made the mistake of letting the wash wand get too close to my one week old JK's radiator area last year and completely messed up large areas of those fins, distorting their shape to make large, paint-free, flat streaks across the surface. They're not very strong.

 

i guess i'll take off the bumper and grill, before i install the new bumper/winch, and use an old brush to gently brush them out...?

 

Go to Harbor Freight, PepBoys, most auto supply stores and get yourself a FIN COMB, it's made for cleaning out debris and straightening out those fins flattened by high pressure water.... each area of flattened fins creates a ''hot spot'' on your condenser, which is nothing but a large heat exchanger that requires the free flow of air between the fins to function properly. If the fins are really bent down badly you will have to start folding them up into place with a pocketknife or miniature screwdriver before the fin comb can be used. It's really for final finish work. Cleaning minute rocks out of your condenser fins really falls under the ''DON'T FIX IT IF IT AIN'T BROKE'' rule; all vehicles driven in the real world have some junk in the radiator or condenser fins. This VERY SELDOM causes any problems...... GOOD LUCK AND GOOD WHEELING

 

X2

No matter how hard you are tempted do NOT use a wire brush or similar to comb out the rocks. Make sure you are using a comb with the correct fin spacing, and do it gently.

 

Get the tool and get them out. Despite what has been said here even small rocks can cause a problem over time. It is called rubbing and wear. Rocks are hard and can slowly rub holes into things. The softer the material the rock is in contact with the faster this happens.
BTW it is doubtful you got rocks out of the water more likely you picked them up off the road.

 

x3

 

thanks for all the info... i have seen a fin comb before ( i'll pic one up)
and i only have one little area the size of a pea that has bent fins (small rock or something hit it..).

BUT... for the SoCal guys, that get into the flood waters we have,
that runoff water is FULL of tiny rocks that are washing out of the desert...
its not from trail riding...
our roads have 6+ inches of sand/rocks/silt whatever, left behind when the waters are gone...
so be warned when driving in the chocolate river waters of a flood...
your radiator is being crammed full of them.

 

DON"T USE a HIGH PRESSURE WAND or WIRE BRUSH. This will bend the fins on your Radiator.

Those rocks are more than likely flung up from road debris. The best I found to remove the tiny rocks from the radiator is a Toothbrush. It is a pain in the rear but it does work well. It won't take all the rocks out....but you can use a toothpick or similar object to get the rest of them out.

The next step is to get a summer/winter grille to proctect your rad from the rocks and even bugs from damaging your Radiator fins.