Jeeptarian
Full Access Member
I installed a moderately coarse fiberglass bug screen on my new (March, 2013) Jeep Liberty. On inaugural cruise down California's central valley, Bugs were thiiiick! My radiator stayed protected by the screen, and radiator temp was fine. Screen cleanup was a breeze, as the gunk did not penetrate into the radiator. And perhaps best of all, the KK didn't smell like slow-cookin bugs when I started it up later!
Since the 1960s I've installed such screens on all my vehicles and never had one overheat. I'm sure that internally clogged radiators and defective thermostats are much greater hazards for overheating. Of course, you don't want to use too fine a screen and block off too much airflow.
As for installing such screens, modern vehicles seem to have tight clearances, so be careful! I used some extenders and grabbers to help [think like The Cable Guy (Larry?) who uses some such things rather than crawl so far under your house, for example.] I tied off the screen at three places on top and three on the bottom to help flatten it out/keep it in place. Used thinner nylon/poly cord.
Who else uses bug screens over their radiator? Details?
Since the 1960s I've installed such screens on all my vehicles and never had one overheat. I'm sure that internally clogged radiators and defective thermostats are much greater hazards for overheating. Of course, you don't want to use too fine a screen and block off too much airflow.
As for installing such screens, modern vehicles seem to have tight clearances, so be careful! I used some extenders and grabbers to help [think like The Cable Guy (Larry?) who uses some such things rather than crawl so far under your house, for example.] I tied off the screen at three places on top and three on the bottom to help flatten it out/keep it in place. Used thinner nylon/poly cord.
Who else uses bug screens over their radiator? Details?
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