How to Clean the Front of the Radiator in a Jeep Grand Cherokee

The radiator, an essential device in the Jeep Grand Cherokee cooling system, cools down the engine and prevents overheating. While driving, the cooling process pulls in air. This also causes leaves, insects, dirt and other debris to suck into the fins (vents) of the radiator and trap heat. Clean the front of the radiator in a Jeep Grand Cherokee to help thwart overheating. These steps relate to most model years.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Water hose
• Soapy water
• Soft nylon brush

1. Wait until your Grand Cherokee engine is cold before cleaning the radiator because you could damage a hot engine if cold water gets on it. Additionally, a heated engine means the radiator holds hot coolant under intense pressure that could seriously burn you.

2. Open your hood and secure it. Find the rectangular-shaped radiator toward the front of your vehicle near the grille. This location goes for the six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines.

3. Loosen dead insects and other debris by dipping the nylon brush into the soapy water and gently scrubbing the front of the radiator. Put the brush between the grille and the radiator or directly through slots in the front of the grille.

4. Rub softly in the direction of the fins because rubbing against the direction of the fragile metal fins can bend them. Point your hose between the grille and the radiator, or spray the radiator directly through the front of the grille. Keep the pressure down because too much water pressure causes the delicate fins to bend.

5. Spray the front of your radiator with gentle streams of water when rinsing. Repeat this cleansing process every 12,000 miles or according to scheduled maintenance in your owner's manual.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a narrow long handle nylon brush to clean hard to reach parts of the radiator. This type of brush might work better for cleaning through the front grille as well. On some vehicles, you can remove your front grille to clean the radiator front. In this case, work with a licensed mechanic to ensure proper grille removal and replacement.
• Clean the radiator front directly through the front grille on vehicles that do not have a grille with mesh wiring. When working with mesh wire grilles clean between your grille and radiator or contact a skilled mechanic to avoid potential injury from the mesh's wire sharp edges.

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