Water jets for radiator / oil / trans coolers

RV-1/2n-FUN wrote:
Wouldn't the same thing be accomplished with regular garden misters used for plant irrigation? Install a filter off the water supply and no minerals.

Yes, a garden mister system will work fine.

Wouldn't the same thing be accomplished with regular garden misters used for plant irrigation? Install a filter off the water supply and no minerals.

FIRE UP wrote:

Gjac wrote:
Those of you that have installed this system do you put it at the top across the A/C heat exchanger or in between the A/C across the actual radiator itself? It looks like it would be an easier install in front of the A/C heat exchanger.

Gjac,
When I did mine, it was on a '77 Four Star, Class C Dodge. I set it up so the tubing I built, was about an inch away from the top tank of a vertical flow radiator. When I triggered the pump, the little holes I put in that tubing, sprayed directly at the top tank. That way, to me, it "pre cooled" the water as it entered the radiator from a hot engine. Then, it would have time to continue cooling as it flowed down it's normal path and into the bottom tank. And, like I stated, I removed the presence of the auto trans cooling in the bottom tank. That way, the cooled water/coolant, was not "pre warmed" again by the hot transmission fluid, prior to it entering the engine.

Now, on this Diesel pusher of ours, If I were to do it on it, I'd have to plan some interesting routing, because it's a horizontal flow radiator. And, in case you, or anyone else has not done any radiator work, that radiator, on a rear radiator unit, (not side cooler) is seriously tight in there and it would be darned near impossible to put it so it's aimed directly at the entrance tank of it. I'd have to come up with plan B.
Scott

Directing the spray across the radiator core should work fine. The air flow would pull the water spray through the core and across the fins which is where the majority of the heat exchange occurs.

Gjac wrote:
Those of you that have installed this system do you put it at the top across the A/C heat exchanger or in between the A/C across the actual radiator itself? It looks like it would be an easier install in front of the A/C heat exchanger.

Gjac,
When I did mine, it was on a '77 Four Star, Class C Dodge. I set it up so the tubing I built, was about an inch away from the top tank of a vertical flow radiator. When I triggered the pump, the little holes I put in that tubing, sprayed directly at the top tank. That way, to me, it "pre cooled" the water as it entered the radiator from a hot engine. Then, it would have time to continue cooling as it flowed down it's normal path and into the bottom tank. And, like I stated, I removed the presence of the auto trans cooling in the bottom tank. That way, the cooled water/coolant, was not "pre warmed" again by the hot transmission fluid, prior to it entering the engine.

Now, on this Diesel pusher of ours, If I were to do it on it, I'd have to plan some interesting routing, because it's a horizontal flow radiator. And, in case you, or anyone else has not done any radiator work, that radiator, on a rear radiator unit, (not side cooler) is seriously tight in there and it would be darned near impossible to put it so it's aimed directly at the entrance tank of it. I'd have to come up with plan B.
Scott

I PUT THE NOZZELS IN FRONT OF EVERYTHING....AND POINT THEM AT THE RAD, COOLERS ETC.

Those of you that have installed this system do you put it at the top across the A/C heat exchanger or in between the A/C across the actual radiator itself? It looks like it would be an easier install in front of the A/C heat exchanger.

Thanks for the replies. Its is nice to know there is a good "insurance" system to protect the engine/tranny in case I need it.

Thanks again.

Lots of interesting responses. Systems like this were used a lot years ago by over the road truckers to cool their engines on long pulls under heavy loads. The older skinny nosed trucks didn't allow for a lot of radiator opening or width and the technology of the day wasn't what it is today.

Oh yes on a spray system...built several on MHs.... work exactly as Fire Up says......have used them on hard LONG grades in CO.. dropped my temp 25 * instantly.....absolutely great.........gives you that insurance that you are not going to ruin your engine from overheating..... NOthing will equal a spray system for insurance...
Go big, a 4 nozel lawn spray manifold from wallmart 4 sprayers a 12V water pump and hook it into your water system and a SW on the dash and you are in business. To worry about rust and all that is ,well, I don't know.....YOU HAVE AN ENGINE TO PROTECT...!

Added one on a Burb pulling a Airstream when I got out West to solve overheating because of only a two core radiator. Used plastic tubing from the TT which I burned holes in with a paper clip to make the spray bar. Had a valve mounted on the roof rack which my daughter would turn on when needed... like going through Death Valley. Added a pair to a Cat 3126 radiator and the AC condenser to help cool them. Works really well out West where the humidity is lower. 5 gallons of even hard water/day is not going to deposit enough of anything to hurt the fins/cooling.
Copper or alum radiator is going to rust.:S