Hi Mith,
I always tell people to try and air blow the radiator from the FAN side and not the GRILL side . Sometimes if you blow from the Grill side you end up packing the dirt and debris deeper into the fins .Some tractors "pull air" through the "grill side" to the "fan side" and some tractors in high dust situations "push air" from the engine compartment back out through to the grill side .You see this "pusher style" in grain harvesting tractors and so forth . Most CUT's that I know have the "puller type system". One poster said he bought a cheap flexible air gun so he could get into the fan side better . After doing this I would rinse the radiator from both sides until the water runs clean as it passes through the fins .Make sure you clean the area where the tanks attach to the fins "real well ". For some reason ,many people seem to miss this area and the dirt just lays in there and starts creating all sorts of problems . If all this does not help , and you "KNOW" the radiator is the problem ,you have two solutions .
1. Take the radiator out and to a Radiator Shop and have them "Flow Check" it for proper GPM flow ,test for leaks, and then if it checks out "OK" internally have a"BOIL OUT" service performed on it to clean the outside . If the inside of the radiator shows a cloggage in the " GPM Flow Check" and "if" the radiator can handle a "ROD OUT service " than I would go that way .This will get the radiator back to 100% cooling . I say "IF" because every time a radiator is opened up and cleaned , it weakens the radiator a little more .If it has been "RODDED OUT" more than once then it is best to get a new core installed and save the cost of a rod out .
2. If the Radiator is clean and you still have a cooling problem and "KNOW" it is the fault of the radiator's inability to supply enough cooling and not some other engine problem ,I would have a new "core" installed . For many, many years most European as well as U.S. tractor makers used a "J" core style on their radiators . Very tough core with big inline tubes,straight fins design for better external cleaning . Asian tractor makers used a automotive style core which cooled better in less space ,plugged up much quicker and did not stand up as well . Now there are all kinds of industrial cores to choose from that incorporate both designs . I would go to a "stagger tude, 12 fins per inch industrial design core . If you have marginal cooling with your existing radiator ,this is the way to go . You can add anywhere from 20% to 40 % better cooling in the same amount of space that your old style core used !
There was quite a discussion on cooling and cleaning a radiator about two months ago on TBN with a gal who was also experiencing a heating problem . You can do a search and I bet it would come up .
Big Al
