Hey guys,
Looking for some input here.
Here's my story, was stuck in a lineup to cross the can / us border 2 weeks ago for 1.5 hrs. It was mid 80's and humid, so we had the AC on. I had never had trouble with the truck before so I just idled along for the
1.5 hrs moving maybe 10 feet every 5 minutes or so sucking in the car ahead of me's exhaust, not paying attention to the gauges. ( I know, I know) by the time I was almost to the border agent, I noticed steam coming from the hood. I looked at the temp gauge, and for the first time ever, it was well above the normal 1/2 point. It was in the red zone! Aack!! the heater went on full blast, and the engine went off. After waiting 10 mins, I started it up again, started fine, and kept the heater on. The temp slowly dropped, and by the time I was thru the line, the temp gauge was back to normal. Once back on the interstate, the truck drove fine, heat stayed constant, and everything was back to normal. I've been driving it short distances recently, including idling in drive thru lineups and bank tellers ect. and the temp has not wavered since. It rises to half and stays pegged there just like before. So, I am thinking things are fine still, but, that my cooling system is losing capacity. I've done longer waits in the same vehicle without incident in similar situations before.What can I do to restore the cooling systems capability, or am I over reacting and should just be a bit more cautious in longer lines like that?
Looking at the AC condenser, a lot ( 25 % ish) of fins are bent / smashed and I'm thinking that has something to do with my problem ( reducing air flow) Also, looking at the back side of the rad thru the fan, some of the fins in the middle of the rad are slightly different colors from those in the corners.
So, should I replace the Rad? AC Condenser? Both? rad fluid is a nice colour and looks good still. level stays fine and everything else seems to be running just fine. I want to get this before it gets worse.
How hard is it to replace the rad? It doesn't look like its all that bad, but... and how about the AC condenser? any idea of costs for a DIY?
If the AC needs work, the dealers getting it, as I don't have the tools for that.
Thanks for your input
Dave