Will the engine overheat if i paint it?

[mpcluever]

i want to paint my engine, but i've read on the internet that the engine can overheat because it is now covered with an insulator. I'm hoping a thin layer of high temp paint won't make a big difference. any thoughts?

[LoserShoes]

Thin is the key word. Lay it on thick and will be an insulator. Flat black will actually cool better then bare aluminum by a little.

Steve

[Pat Kelly]

Yes the engine will overheat. You should give me your bike and save yourself a lot of trouble

[prometheus578]

"Ja, dat's a hot von" (Swedish accent)

Sure... so what's the thickness of a layer of paint film? .001? Now if you slather on a thick coat of enamel... like with using a roller, you may have something, there.
Engine enamels, like a nice Chevy Orange lay on rather thick, but then my truck's engine is water cooled.
(My two XS850's have both been painted with that high temp black wrinkle paint. Maybe the extra wrinkles, by increasing the surface area, actually help dissapate the heat. And don't forget the that the engine will run cooler now because of how "cool" it looks)
(bogus scientific opinion)

but i've read on the internet that...

Don't believe everything that you read on the internet. People that hang around in chatrooms and argue in discussion forums are a sorry lot. They espouse their grand opinions to give purpose to their otherwise wasted and wretched lives. There is nothing useful to be gained there and it just lowers your self esteem. (Argueing with someone on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded)
Real men hang around in Motorcycle Forums, like this one. This is where the real experience and knowledge is. This site is staffed with brilliant people who...
Oooh! Gotta run... Sponge Bob is almost on!

[trbig]

(Argueing with someone on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded)

Man O man.... I laughed till I cried.. thank you.

Tod

[TopCatGr58]

Paint your Wagon, boat, bike, whatever!

Hey there MPCluever,

You may not have noticed but Yamaha put out a model called the Midnight Special, and it was painted totally black, entire engine!! The fins provide the radiating and cooling effect, a few mils of paint ain't gonna make much of a difference, go for it!!!
T.C.

[John]

I painted mine when I had it apart to do the big bore. I had the engine entirely apart, and baked the painted pieces in the oven @ 200 degrees for an hour as per the directions on the can. I used VHT brand, black engine paint. The oil does a large amount of cooling of the top end, so keep the level up. My oven wasn't large enough to hold the crankcase halves, so I rigged up a space heater, and suspended the case halves above it for a couple of hours. It has held up well in the almost two years since I did it. It does have a few rock chips in it, but that's to be expected. I didn't use any primer, just had a good, clean surface to start with. I do use an oil cooler, as it can get kinda warm here in Texas in the summer, but I haven't had any overheating problems. I didn't get much riding in last summer, as both the bike and I were both pretty banged up. Look at the pics that are posted in the webshots address below. You can see the engine before and after the paint work.

[Wildkat]

I painted my FJ engine gold with a high temp engine paint (VHT) and filed down the edges of the fins (I don't know if that made any difference or not). It's been running fine to this point.

Good luck and post pics whn you get it finished!

[prometheus578]

Engine paint removale tip

Depending on the type and brand of paint you use, gasoline, Brakleen and carb cleaner sprays make good "Accidental" paint removers. Degrease your engine after painting using Simple Green, or some other non- paint eatin' cleaner. (Had the leaking carb/air box syndrome do a number on a black wrinkle-coat painted engine case)

[John]

I have had a sticking float to the 'fill the airbox' thing on mine not too long ago, but it didn't damage the paint at all. I don't know if was the brand of paint that I used or if it was because I baked the paint on to the parts, but there was no paint damage at all. Maybe I just got lucky.

[Pat Kelly]

Seems to me that just running the engine will "bake the paint".
I painted the cases, cylinder, and head on my 400cc Honda Hawk when I lived in Arizona. Raced it there too. Used VHT brand engine paint and never had a problem with the paint or overheating.
Just change the oil regularly (I change mine every 3,000 or twice a year, whichever comes first) and keep the oil level up.
I'm feeling encouraged to mask-off my MNS and repaint the engine (it's faded to grey). Someone in the past painted the valve cover wrinkle black. Wrinkle looks good but all the tiny nooks and crannies hold dust and dirt. The motor will be flat black and the covers will be gloss black.

[skippy344]

Re: "Ja, dat's a hot von" (Swedish accent)

Originally posted by prometheus578
(Argueing with someone on the Internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded)
[/B]

I'm still laughing! That was too funny.

I'm looking into buying this product called "Flitz." Says it can clean and polish aluminum easily and quickly.

greg

[Winterhawk]

Back in the late 1970's factory Honda motocross bikes engines were painter red. The Honda Techs claim that it dissipated the heat better than non painted engines. I don't think the temperature difference would be noticeable.

[jimg1au]

painted engines

hi
all xs1100s that where sold in australia have painted engines and oil coolers.and yes it dose get hot in australia .use a hi temp paint it will be ok.
cheers
jim garvey
sydney
australia