D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

[McBAIN Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close McBAIN]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

Nice and neat Celwar! i'm toying with the idea of the toyota bug cover too but not sure of the look of it over the chrome!

got any pics of the end result from the outside?

Also looked at the Toyota bug screen and decided I didn't want the chrome grille covered.
TJM also have a similar design but rejected that for the same reasons.
Based on the previous posts, this is how I did it.
I had some old flywire so removed the grille and roughly cut the metal flywire to the same shape.
Then removed the black bracket at the bottom of the grille and used this to clamp the flywire at the bottom and the sides.
For the top I folded the flywire over the grille retaining screws, put tape over the grille bonnet area (mainly to protect the paintwork) and after trimming any excess, fitted everything back again.
I have some long interstate business trips coming up in the new year so will see how this arrangement goes but seems OK to me and it cost me absolutely nothing.
I will monitor the temperature via the SG and also refine and tidy it up a bit once I have confirmed there are no problems.

[Golly Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Golly]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

120kmh for most of it.

Didn't you mean perhaps 110kph? :roll: :shock:

At least NT still has 130kph max speed limits on its Highways.

Yes, that's correct, more like 112 approx, as Toyotas speedos are 2kms at least faster than it actually travels, straight from the factory.
:mrgreen:

[celwar Member Find all posts View Profile Close celwar]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

Will take some and post tomorrow.
Also while walking through our warehouse recently it occurred to me that the blue pastic webbing they use for strapping packages could work for securing the flywire.
Might investigate that to cover the bullbar vents.

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

I used the shade cloth but will keep a close eye on it as it is flammable, didn't give it a thought till I had finished.

It's woven polypropylene, most of the plastic in the Prado (and there's a lot of it) is polypropylene... if the shade cloth is burning then you have bigger problems :shock:

Mick

[celwar Member Find all posts View Profile Close celwar]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

Not much to see really, all looks fairly normal but the closeup shows the mesh at the back together with some captured bugs.

[bilobill Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bilobill]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too



Hi all
Here is a picture of the bug screen.
It stops about 75% of bugs getting into the front of your radiator. :|

[4D4 PRADO 08 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4D4 PRADO 08]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

It's woven polypropylene, most of the plastic in the Prado (and there's a lot of it) is polypropylene... if the shade cloth is burning then you have bigger problems :shock:

Mick[/quote]



Just did 3550kms from Canberra to QLD return, shade cloth wasn't a problem (no meltdown) The drive did take me three weeks.

[Auto-Craft Inactive Find all posts View Profile Close Auto-Craft]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

I would be careful with this.

Even the lightest mesh you can get will block a minimum of 48% of airflow.

Add bull bar, driving lights, winch controller, and you are blocking a HUGE amount of air from the auo cooler, the air con condensor, and the radiator.

The radiator etc is made to cope with bugs, and the odd bit of truck wash and a clean with a hose will fix it, and not block any air flow.

[Golly Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Golly]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

Cannot speak for all, but my ally fly mesh did not make a blip on the thermo, Some of those bugs out there are the size of small minis :shock: and to stop the suckers folding over a few grills in my radiator makes me happy haha...

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

Did this today using Aluminium mesh (cyclone from bunnings)

Small variation: Instead of zip tying it at the top, I extended the mesh over the top of the radiator and sandwiched it under the trim. Pushed some holes through it and fixed it using the factory clips. Left the mesh long, it almost makes the subframe, figured it might stop the odd bug sneaking around the corner. Zip tied at the bottom of the condenser. I don't think it is going anywhere...

Mine's an 08 D4d Manual. No need to remove anything but the upper trim. Mesh width is 600mm - I found it easier to feed the alu mesh from below and with a bit of a wiggle it went straight in.

I've got spare mesh, intercooler next.

Michael

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

A problem with using the flywire is that it doesn't keep the spinifex out. The shadecloth is more efficient here.

[Auto-Craft Inactive Find all posts View Profile Close Auto-Craft]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

Did this today using Aluminium mesh (cyclone from bunnings)

I've got spare mesh, intercooler next.

Michael

That should make for a drop in performance, and more fuel used, blocking at least 48% of the air flow through it!

[Golly Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Golly]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

As far as fuel economy goes Assasin, I havent noticed any 8)

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

That should make for a drop in performance, and more fuel used, blocking at least 48% of the air flow through it!

That's never been my experience and I have installed mesh to almost every car I've had. Nil effect on temps or performance. Last time I added it all up, well over 500,000 kms. Bug caked radiators build up grunge which is very hard to clear off by any means - if you can stop them from hitting the core, everything is a whole lot easier to tidy up. Ask anyone who has had to drive through locust plagues.

With all due respect, it would seem your analysis of the use of mesh is out of step with peoples experiences here. Mesh would slow the airflow, sure. That would be a problem if the (available airflow) x (restriction of mesh) resulted in an inadequate airflow for the job at hand. Wouldn't matter if it was 90% as long as 10% is enough to do the job. Where are you getting this 48%+ from?

As far as the intercooler is concerned, I believe that the genuine bugscreen would be even more restrictive than mesh on the intercooler itself. Keep in mind that the intake area for the intercooler ducts is quite small, and fed from two small intakes behind the grille. It's a bit of a nutty setup, one wonders why they didn't do something like they did on the lux.

The Aluminium mesh is significantly finer than either the fibreglass flyscreen or the poly shademesh. I've used them all in the past, the aluminium is better if you have a flat surface to install it on, if not the other meshes are more flexible.

Michael

[Auto-Craft Inactive Find all posts View Profile Close Auto-Craft]

Re: D.I.Y Radiator / Air condenser bug screen - How too

That should make for a drop in performance, and more fuel used, blocking at least 48% of the air flow through it!

That's never been my experience and I have installed mesh to almost every car I've had.

With all due respect, it would seem your analysis of the use of mesh is out of step with peoples experiences here. Mesh would slow the airflow, sure. That would be a problem if the (available airflow) x (restriction of mesh) resulted in an inadequate airflow for the job at hand. Wouldn't matter if it was 90% as long as 10% is enough to do the job. Where are you getting this 48%+ from?

Michael

Michael,

the 48% is the minimum restriction any mesh tested is, to air flow.

The manufacturers test this, and so do air conditioning manufacturers etc, and as much as here dont see any temp gauge movement [toyota has to see a 12 deg water temp chnage to move the gauge] I tend to go with what the manufacturers and industry testing tells us ever time we get them rammed home doing tech courses, and bullitins, and what it causes.

Not that I dont believe you have never noticed whats going on, but afew fitting it here, and not noticing anything, doesnt = testing it and logging the results using test equipment.

Its fair to say the manufacturer doesnt make a radiator thats 90% more efficient than required, so restricting any flow can only have a down side, really, even if you could allow only 10% flow, to try and make it work, get a warm day, heavy load, larger tyres, roof rack, towing, etc, [dtronic or similar fitted even] and this is when the issues cana rise, wether it be air con not as good, auto cooler not working as well, or car getting warm.

Add driving lights, bullbar, winch contoller, as well, and you have the potential to only have the problem show, when your relying on it most :wink: