06 Mandalay 40E Radiator Access

wolfe10 wrote:


Some clarification is needed here.

The "few sets of coils" are the CAC. It is where most of the debris will be deposited since it is the first thing in the air flow and "filters" much of the debris.

The CAC (Charge Air Cooler) is in FRONT OF the radiator. This is called a SANDWICHED cooling system. Stacked cooling system have the CAC ABOVE the radiator.

Thank you for the clarification!

As far as costs, I had it done while on a trip at Freightliner, I won't say which one, but it rhymes with Pal-bu-ker-kee ;) The tech was convinced the overheating was a problem with the fan. He spent literally 3 days messing with the fan, and throwing parts at it. Completely frustrated with the lack of progress, I had to step in and tell them to change the radiator. 1 day later and it was fixed, haven't had an overheating problem since.

I ended up picking an aftermarket radiator that cost $900. I don't remember what the OEM radiator cost, I know it was more, and several days out. The total for parts (radiator, thermostat, hoses, clamps, new belt, coolant) came to $1200. Labor: $1,950. (Labor was hard to judge, it wasn't clear how much time they spent actually changing the radiator, and how much time chasing the bogus fan problem)

Rob

rdhetrick wrote:
Chad,

I've got a 2005/06 hybrid 40E, same chassis/engine combo.

Last year, had to replace the radiator because it was all gunked up inside. I bought it a few months before.

Anyway, I was told to spray water in through the fan blades as best you can. There's a few sets of coils there, I don't remember what they are for (engine coolant, A/C, Transmission?). It's not going to work all that well because they're stacked, but it's better than nothing. I looked at taking the shroud off, it looked to be a major effort.

Maybe someone else has some better ideas.

Rob

Feel free to share what the radiator cost you. Labor and materials. Always Curious. Thanks.

rdhetrick wrote:
Chad,

I've got a 2005/06 hybrid 40E, same chassis/engine combo.

There's a few sets of coils there, I don't remember what they are for (engine coolant, A/C, Transmission?). It's not going to work all that well because they're stacked, but it's better than nothing.

Rob

Some clarification is needed here.

The "few sets of coils" are the CAC. It is where most of the debris will be deposited since it is the first thing in the air flow and "filters" much of the debris.

The CAC (Charge Air Cooler) is in FRONT OF the radiator. This is called a SANDWICHED cooling system. Stacked cooling system have the CAC ABOVE the radiator.

Chad,

I've got a 2005/06 hybrid 40E, same chassis/engine combo.

Last year, had to replace the radiator because it was all gunked up inside. I bought it a few months before.

Anyway, I was told to spray water in through the fan blades as best you can. There's a few sets of coils there, I don't remember what they are for (engine coolant, A/C, Transmission?). It's not going to work all that well because they're stacked, but it's better than nothing. I looked at taking the shroud off, it looked to be a major effort.

Maybe someone else has some better ideas.

Rob

Pressure wash it from the backside (fan side) or blow it out with compressed air.