Radiator paint...?

[JAKEYUK]

Hello guys im just about to paint my radiator on my CX500 i was wondering what kid of paint you use as im planing on painting the blades as well as housing, but i don't want to cover the heat blades in something that will make the radiator not work correctly...


Cheers

JAke 8)

 

[hillsy]

Flat black.


You can use any sort of enamel - it won't get hot enough to warrant using high temp engine enamels.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

I did a CX500 recently. I used aircraft stripper and a pressure washer to clean the radiator to bare metal. Then I used vinegar to remove surface oxidation. After thorough rinsing, I sprayed it with a little clear to prevent surface oxidation. Stripping off the paint made this bike run substantially cooler. Whatever you use, put on minimal thickness paint film.

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

Flat black (thin coat) would give the best heat rejection to atmosphere, BTW. It's why most radiators/coils are either uncoated or black.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

That's true.
I have always wondered why people paint house radiators silver. It's the worst possible color. I have made a room warmer by doing nothing more than painting a radiator a dark color.

As for engine cooling, most of the radiator is enclosed, and the color has a minimal effect on cooling because most of the cooling effect is conductive cooling to air flowing through it. Very little heat is transferred by radiation, (IMO.)

In thinking about it, the CX500 Engine that I did also got powdercoated with silver vein. That is a fairly thick coating, (and included a clear,) but it was overall a lot darker color than the original silver. Some of the improved cooling that was noted after the work that I did could possibly be due to the darker color on the engine as a whole.

The owner of the bike always noted that the bike ran a tad on the hot side. After the work I did, the temp gauge never went past the nominal halfway point. Before you ask, no, I didn't change the thermostat.

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

The owner of the bike always noted that the bike ran a tad on the hot side. After the work I did, the temp gauge never went past the nominal halfway point. Before you ask, no, I didn't change the thermostat.

The PC caused a bad ground and the gauge was reading wrong....LOL

Maybe the thermostat started working right. Engine Color on a water cooled bike should not have a real noticeable affect.

Or maybe the wire was off to PC and when reinstalled, made better contact....you never know, sometimes just a loving touch can heal things....

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Engine Color on a water cooled bike should not have a real noticeable affect.

I'll disagree with you on that statement, with no hard data to back up my opinon.

ALL surface areas of an engine emit heat, regardless of what the cooling "system" is. The engine cases have significant surface area, and are well exposed for radiant heat emission.

Jes sayin'...

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

Well, we can get into that the engine shouldn't have a noticeable temperature rise, as the oil and coolant are still removing the heat, just the path is different....But if I have to agree with you, I will, but mostly on the heat removed by the oil and the crankcase.

I noticed you didn't disagree with the loving touch hypothesis...

Plus, I won't be schoolyard bullied..... 8)

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

Well, it DID get lots of "loving touch." Fresh rings and a light lap of the valves was what I did internally to the engine. I also meticulously straightened any dented up fin areas of the radiator.

 

[hillsy]

Well, it DID get lots of "loving touch." Fresh rings and a light lap of the valves was what I did internally to the engine. I also meticulously straightened any dented up fin areas of the radiator.

Did you flush out the radiator? That normally has the biggest impact on cooling performance.

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

I don't remember flushing out out, but I'm sure I stuck the hose in and and reverse flushed it as part of cleaning it up, because, that's the way I roll...

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

I don't remember flushing out out, but I'm sure I stuck the hose in and and reverse flushed it as part of cleaning it up, because, that's the way I roll...

Sticking your hose in and flushing it out....sure sounds like that "loving touch"....