Put protective grill mesh in the grill

[Pryme]

Anyone done this “mod”?

 

its painted aluminum so it shouldn’t rust. I used a combination of fabric Velcro ties and then did a standard zip tie over that. Mainly to protect the plastic grill. Everything is tight and not going anywhere. 
 

these trucks have gaping grills and little protection. Even a small bird could go right into the condenser, radiator etc. 

 

I figured for 17 bucks online it’s not a bad idea. I’ve seen how bad the fins get with much smaller openings so I can imagine this truck would get blasted.  This still won’t keep everything out but it’s going to be wayyyyy less than stock. 

 

also if you’re wondering, this didn’t restrict airflow at all. I have a scan gauge in the truck and the water temp is exactly the same before and after adding the mesh. Truck runs 198deg on average btw not the “210” the dummy gauge says on the dash. 

[Another JR]

Measuring water temperature when it’s operating in the thermostat control range does not tell you whether the airflow has changed. 

[Stand By]

Not to shoot this down at all, but I would pay more attention while towing, rather than regular operation. I'd especially be concerned about watching tranny temps. Might be able to rig a thermocouple before and after the tranny cooler, even just a temporary one, to see if the heat exchanger is still working at an optimum range. Just a thought.

[Pryme]

It’s 11x25mm hexagon. It won’t make any difference. They are pretty big holes. 
 

Is it the condenser or tranny cooler in front of the radiator? I’d guess when those fins get hammered with rocks and close up it would be way worse. 
 

 

main reason I added it is my last vehicle took a big rock to the condenser and it leaked all the refrigerant out. 

[Stand By]

Sounds good, I've had similar concerns. Just throwing out some considerations before somebody else just throws anything in there. On a side note I have yet to see a thread from any of the heavy haulers on adding an auxillary tranny cooler to this generation. If I throw a plow on this year, I may look into one.

[Hoginedgewood]

4 hours ago, Pryme said:

 

id like to see how the grill comes out and what you used for mesh.

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Hoginedgewood

[Pryme]

2 hours ago, Hoginedgewood said:

 

You can access the grill by taking the whole front end off absorption you can just remove the black plastic top plate and put the mesh on from above, which is what I did. 
 

there are about 8 plastic pop plugs that you pry up with a body fork tool or a flat head screwdriver and you also need to remove the two T10 torx screws holding the hood release lever on and that whole black plastic cover comes off. Takes a few min. 
 

the mesh I bought off Amazon. It comes in 40x13 inch pieces and I literally used the whole thing. If it was about 42-43” it would be perfect. It comes in many hole sizes and even a few shapes. It’s only 15-18 dollars and it is aluminum.  
 

it’s pretty self explanatory once you put the piece down there how it will attach. Mine is attached to six different locations. 

[txab]

You might post a link to the material you used to help the next guy out

[Pryme]

2 hours ago, txab said:

You might post a link to the material you used to help the next guy out

https://www.amazon.com/AggAuto-Universal-Grill-Mesh-Multifunctional/dp/B08T8HBHNL/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1A4HZ31ON1G2B&keywords=agg%2Bauto%2Bgrill%2Bmesh&qid=1663781742&sprefix=agg%2Bauto%2B%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&th=1
 

they have many different styles. I went with the 11x25mm hexagon because it’s not too small and still provides a lot more protection than nothing. 

[Grumpy Bear]

18 hours ago, Another JR said:

Measuring water temperature when it’s operating in the thermostat control range does not tell you whether the airflow has changed. 

 

Might want to think on that some more and ask the more relevant question,

 

If it is still IN CONTROL does it matter? 

 

 

[Another JR]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Bear said:

 

Might want to think on that some more and ask the more relevant question,

 

If it is still IN CONTROL does it matter? 

 

 

I was simply pointing out to the OP that measuring the same water temperature when the thermostat is modulating flow does not tell you the airflow has not changed, contrary to their claim. I agree it doesn’t matter up to the point where the thermostat is full open.