Thread: Radiator insect/Bug screen on D4

Originally Posted by Garfield

Has anyone bothered to fit an insect/bug screen to the front radiator grill of there D4 ? If so, did you make it up yourself or purchase ? I drive up and down the Hume Hwy a bit, and particularly in summer collect a lot of yellow gooey grasshoppers in both radiator grill and front windscreen.
Also is there any worry a radiator screen would restrict airflow to the D4 ? Would LR complain ?
All suggestions and thoughts welcome

Yes I use a piece of plastic Flyscreen (the ones for house windows) and attach it to the central hoop of the Bullbar (AR and stretch it to the holes/gaps of the bashplate of the bulbar below so that the Screen cover both the radiator and the intercooler below.

I use ties to attach the screen. I think there are enough holes/ gaps on the grill without a bulbar to attach the screen.

No issues with overheating or airflow. Dealer service did not complain about screen. The screen covers the number plate but it is see through or you can fix the screen underneath the number plate.

I used to attach it only for long distance trip, but now I have left it on permanently and just wash the insects off the screen each time.

It definitely stops the bugs form jamming the radiator.

Go-disco4

Originally Posted by Garfield

Has anyone bothered to fit an insect/bug screen to the front radiator grill of there D4 ? If so, did you make it up yourself or purchase ? I drive up and down the Hume Hwy a bit, and particularly in summer collect a lot of yellow gooey grasshoppers in both radiator grill and front windscreen.
Also is there any worry a radiator screen would restrict airflow to the D4 ? Would LR complain ?
All suggestions and thoughts welcome

I would think that it would be no worse than bugs blocking the radiator. Drove through a locust plague once going south through the Wimera region of Victoria on the way to Warnambool. Took me about an half an hour using a pressure sprayer to debug the radiator. I sure was wishing I had a radiator screen at the time.

Martin

As I use my D4 for taking the kids to school, going into theoffice and 75% use around Melbourne, I'm not sure I want a radiator insectscreen all the time. So as you suggested go-disco4, I might try to rig up apiece of plastic flyscreen that fits over the front centre of the OL bull bar whchcan be held on by ocky straps, and R & R quite easily for trips outside Melbourne.
Or maybe better to use shade cloth ???

I would use shadecloth.
I'm thinking Velcro to attach.Fortunately we have a canvas maker at work so I may be able to trick him into making me one.Problem is he only does canvas on weekends and has a huge backlog of work,quite a popular trade in a small country town.He also restores old lounge and kitchen chairs so the waiting list is LoooooooooooooooooooooooooonG
Andrew

This actually was my very first mod. All I did was buy some 750mm wide by 750mm long plastic fly screen from bunnings and slid it between the top of the grill cross member and the radiator. Ie on a D4 there is foam sealing the gap. I just slide it up there. I then took the bottom plastic cover that allows access to the front tow hook off and tucked the bottom of the mesh back under the bottom of the radiator. I think there was a little side trimming required. Mine is not cable tied at all. Being a new car I guess things are nice and snug so no need. I went for a drive into the country last weekend, and as I was cleaning the car I was amazed at the number of splatted bugs on the front of the car. Peering though the front grill I could see lots of bugs on the mesh. Cheap to do and will hopefully stop the radiators from blocking up. I guess it will now be an annual replacement job depending on how many country trips I do. I would be a little concerned with shadecloth as it might restrict air flow as is is quite thick especially the ones that are higher in sun block out percentage terms

Hi

See attached

It is quite inconspicuous. It has been there for couple of years and can be cleaned further, The edges of the screen can be tidied up to make it neater.

Note number plate behind it.

I have used shade cloth, dose not restrict flow, but very noticeable!

Battery being charged, hence the cord.

GD 4

I use..... a hose....

Barely a dried Grasshopper to be found on the cooling system of my D4..
They just wash out after a few days...

The air flow restriction of shade cloth is actually quite high.
Put a few thermocouples on: behind the cloth, then one on the radiator etc and you may just be surprised how much more your radiator is working to dissipate the heat load.

Gauge will read the same in many cases whilst the cooling system is working harder...

Short of driving in a plague I wouldn't even worry about it.

Shaun and I both drove through a plague going down to Perth a while back - he was in the D2 and I was in the D4.

By the time I got down into Perth, the front of the car was covered in locusts and the radiator was solid with them. The first place I visited was Lifestyle 4WD at Morley, and Steve got one of the young lads in his workshop to take my car around the back and wash the front of it for me. I popped the grille out so that we could clean everything out of the radiator etc. Even though it was a bit of a mess, it didn't seem to bother the D4. Temperature gauge never moved (I know that they are not that accurate) and other than for the mess, you would never have known anything.

The D2 on the other hand did not handle the same as well. It started getting hot in the hills before Perth, with the temperature gauge moving up noticeably. Shaun stopped at a roadhouse at Sawyers Valley or Mundaring and cleaned the front of the vehicle, including popping out the grille and cleaning the radiator. Temperature gauge returned to normal after that.