re radiator cleaning/painting

[Jay Mackro <jmackro@domain.elided>]

JMNegrin@domain.elided had written:

>My recommendation is to pull the radiator, and bring it to the pros.  They 
>will hot-tank it, which breaks up a lot of sediment and accumulated crud.  
>They will also pressure back-flush, which removes yet more crud.  Before you 
>get it back, they can/should check for overall condition of the radiator, 
>pressure check for leaks, and maybe even spray a light coat of black paint on 
>it to make it look good.  

Yes, I agree 100%.  Having a radiator serviced has to be one of the
few automotive bargains left.  And, one of the rare instances where
the owners of imported cars don't pay a huge premium over the people 
who are having their Fords/Chevies serviced.  If you suspect your
radiator at all, or live in an area with hard water and suspect that
the P.O. had been using tap water (of course, YOU wouldn't do 
something that foolish), then have it serviced as JMNegrin@domain.elided
advises.

OK, so here's my question: Whenever you have this service done, the
radiator shop always puts a coat of black spray paint on the radiator.
Usually they do a lousey job (from a cosmetic viewpoint), the paint
is still tacky when you pick it up, ...  But, what I REALLY wonder
is how much cooling efficiency is lost due to putting a coat of
paint - ie, an insulator - over the radiator.  It isn't as if a
brass radiator is going to rust or anything.  Other than asthetics -
which givent he quality of most of these paintjobs is questionable - 
is there any benefit in painting a newly-cleaned radiator?

Jay Mackro

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