here in the south, we have these wasps called "mud daubers". they build these clumpy nests out of mud, and they put small insescts inside for their larvae to eat. Well, one of these wasps decided to build a nest right ontop of my intercooler. I got the nest off, but there is dried mud stuck in the fins of the intercooler.

Does anyone know how I can get all of the dirt out without damaging the fins on the IC?

Any idea of how negatively effected my IC might be with a 4X2 inch section clogged with dirt?

Finally, does anyone know how I can keep this from happening again? I found several other nests under the hood, and I'm kind of worried that something else might get damaged.

 

I have mud daubers on my house. On a good note, they aren't aggressive critters. have you tried just water? Maybe soaking a towel and letting it soak for a bit?

 

The fins on radiators can be damaged by high pressure water streams and compressed air, so I'd try to soak it off. Keep the mud wet for an hour or two and loosen with a soft-bristled brush. Rinse with low-pressure streams of water (I prefer to mist the engine bay, to prevent forcing water into electronics).

Do this when the engine is just barely warm (under 5min of running) or cool.

 

Those sound like good ideas. I think I might get it slightly wet, then try to clear the mud off with a toothpick. If it starts bending the fins, i'll try something else

 

try a spraybottle with H2O an old toothbrush....

 

You could just remove it if it's real bad. Next time get them to make a tunnel in your scoop to divert more air to the IC .

 

Make yourself a hood scoop screen