I need an article written, by an automotive expert, that says when you
replace an old radiator with a new one you will improve your fuel
economy.

I asked a similar question this weekend, where I wanted an article
with this content found for me, however none could be found.  So I
need to commission an expert to write one who is willing to backup
his/her expertise.  Please help.

---

Clarification of Question by redtippey-ga on 25 May 2004 14:01 PDT

This will work only if the person she has write the article is willing
to state who they are and provide proof that they are indeed an
automotive expert.

I really do appreciate all the comments on this, maybe I need to clarify slightly. 

"If your engine is running hot, and your radiator is old then
replacing the radiator with a new radiator will improve fuel economy
and potentially save your engine"

This is really all I need to hear from the expert...please let me know
and thanks again for all the help

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 25 May 2004 14:19 PDT

One of my prospective writers has already contacted me back. He is an
an ASE-Certified Master Automobile Technician, freelance writer and
former editor whose articles currently appear weekly in a nationally
known newspaper column with million plus readership. Shall I proceed
and close your question with his contact information? Honestly, this
turn of events is actually much better than I had hoped for in terms
of qualifications. In factm this not only appears to be your best bet,
but the ABSOLUTE BEST possible scenario, especially under the
circumstances.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

---

Clarification of Question by redtippey-ga on 25 May 2004 14:38 PDT

Yes I will consider his contact information an adequate answer only if
he is willing to write this piece for me...it would also be nice to
get an idea of what price he is looking to charge...thank you

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 25 May 2004 14:47 PDT

I would imagine the price would be somethign the two of you would need
to negotiate based on your expectations, the time frame required, the
ultimate use of the article and many other factors that I have no way
of negotiating for you. As I mentioned he is quite experienced at this
craft and interested in speaking to you about it further. I have no
doubt that he can produce the article for you but it will ultimatley
be between the two of you as to whether or not the article is actually
written. The best I can do is provide you with a willing writer as you
requested in your post, with the creditials you require - both of
which I now seem to have.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

---

Clarification of Question by redtippey-ga on 25 May 2004 15:22 PDT

To be honest I wanted to get the article written for the $200, I guess
it's clear now that this not going to happen.  Would you be ok if I
lower the price of my question to $100?  Please let me know and thank
you.

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 25 May 2004 16:48 PDT

I sympathize with your budget constraints. These darn gas prices are
killing my budget too...

I have to unlock it in order for you to adjust the price. Assuming you
want me (tutuzdad-ga) to answer after you change the price to $100,
could you please post a clarification here stating that fact so no one
else will lock onto it? Then I will release it momentarily and return
to post the contact information for you as an answer. I think we'll
both be more than sufficiently rewarded.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 25 May 2004 18:07 PDT

By the way, the writer I do have is NOT one associated with the woman
I mentioned in my comments earlier. I'm still awaiting a response from
her too.

I'll post this one though as soon as you modify your price as you requested.

Regards;
tutuzdad

---

Request for Question Clarification by tutuzdad-ga on 26 May 2004 07:18 PDT

If you'd like to modify your question price to $100 please feel free
to do so now. The abundantly qualified writer I mentioned to you
yesterday has given permission for me to post his contact information
here. This "expert" in the field seems eager. In addition, the woman I
mentioned yesterday has gotten back to me and has found at least one
other writer who is also interested in speaking to you about the
project. I don't know what his qualifications are but I do know that
he is affiliated with a writer's organization.

I'll post the information as soon as you modify your price as you requested.

regards;
tutuzdad-ga

---

Clarification of Question by redtippey-ga on 26 May 2004 08:03 PDT

I just changed the question price...thank you very much for your
understanding and all the help

Dear redtippey-ga;

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. I have found two writers interested in your project:

The first is Bob Weber. Bob certainly qualified to write such an
article for you. His an ASE-Certified Master Automobile Technician,
freelance writer and former editor of Super Automotive Service
magazine. His column, "Motormouth," appears weekly in the Chicago
Tribune and he also writes for such notable web sites as THE
CARCONNECTION.COM, THE WEB?S AUTOMOTIVE AUTHORITY.


Here are some excellent examples of Mr. Weber?s recent work for the
Chicago Tribune:

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/columnists/chi-bobweber.columnist

Here is one of his recent web site articles:

CARCONNECTION
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?n=158,209&sid=209&article=3136

You can contact Bob Weber at the following email address and phone
number. He is looking forward to hearing from you:

Bob Weber
Write Stuff Communications, Inc.
540-338-9026 
write_stuff@verizon.net

. . . . . . . . . . 

The second writer I found is Mike Helms. He is an associate of The
Writers' Circle of Durham Region http://www.wcdr.org/.

The Writers' Circle of Durham Region
P.O. Box 323 Ajax,ON L1S 3C5
905-686-0211

You can contact Mike at mike@mikehelms.org . He is also interested in
talking to you about your proposed project.

I wish you luck with your project and I hope you get exactly what you
are looking for.

I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



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This answer is perfect....thank you very much!!!

I emailed two auto mechanics with whom I am acquainted; each responded
by saying that your premise is faulty. Replacing an old radiator with
a new one is not likely to have any noticeable effect on gas mileage.

I still need the article, even if some say my premise is faulty.  I
could be talked into paying more money depending on the quality of the
article, etc.  Any ideas?

You may also post this to

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&group=rec.autos.makers.honda

where it will start an intersting discussion and you will get different ideas.

I too contacted several notable automobile journalists who declined to
accept the offer on the same premise; that changing the radiator would
not improve economy. I don't think any reputable writer (i.e. the
"expert" that you require) would risk (at any price) having his name
associated with an article that was fundamentally based on information
they knew to be false.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

Hi redtippey-ga,

   I am not an automotive expert, but still would like to comment on 
your question:

-A radiator essentially prevents the engine from overheating/damage. It
does this by dissipating the excess heat through conduction/convection(and
a little by radiation).
-An engine(esp. the internal combustion type of automotive engine) has
better efficiency at higher operating temperatures(law of thermodynamics),
which also translates to better fuel economy.
-A raditor helps maintain an optimum operating temperature without the
adverse effects of overheating, and hece is a device that essentially
sacrifices engine performance for extended engine life/reliability.

-When a radiator becomes old, its effeciency decreases due to mineral scale
formation inside the copper tubes, additional insulation of the radiator
fins due to dirt/oil grime, reduced surface area due to physical damage of
the fins. But this does not translate to reduced fuel economy since it only
adds to increase engines operating temperature increasing the fuel economy
(at the expense of speeding up engine damage due to overheating).

There are instances where a new radiator(identical one) could help in increased
fuel economy:
i)A radiator in modern automobiles do use forced air circulation(thermostat
controlled fans) in front of the radiator fins to prevent overheating. Incase
of a old raditor, due to reduced heat exchange efficiency, these fans switch
on frequently. Where does the power to the fans come from? from the batteries
which is being charged by an alternator. Due to the poor electrical to
mechanical conversion efficiency(mechanical to electrical losses in alternator,
charging losses in battery, electrical to mechanical losses in the fan motor)
this leads to increased fuel consumption and reduction in fuel economy.

ii) A older radiator implies an older engine, which has more possibility to
have developed carbon deposits than a new engine. Operating such an engine
at higher operating temperatures(due to older radiator) leads to spontaneous
combustion(otherwise known as knocking) instead of being burnt at the right
moment with the electrical spark(spark plugs). Knocking could severly damage
the engine and is easily noticeable as a pinging sound. In modern automobiles
there are vibration sensors that identify the knocking, and automatically
relax the ignition timing, thereby reducing fuel economy(due to reduction in
compression efficiency).  But this does help to prevent any serious engine
damage.  A new radiator in this case would help reduce/prevent knocking by
keeping the engine operating temperature lower leading to increased fuel
economy.

Regards
ldavinci-ga

I just recieved a response from one source, who will remain anonymous
for the time being, who has access to a group of writers. She tells me
that she may be able to find someone in her group who is willing to
write such an article but it would be FROM THE PERSPECTIVE of someone
who theoretically subscribes to the notion that changing an old
radiator would improve fuel ecomony of a car and not necesarily their
own opinion.

If this will suffice, I can get back if you if she locates someone in
her group willing to pen such an article.

regards;
tutuzdad-ga

I don't know how soon (or even if) she will get back to me. Since you
are aware that the premise is considered faulty by some, I have asked
her to find someone who would write such an article, even though it
was not necessarily their own opinion, that would be as mechanically
convincing as possible in order to support your position.

I'll let you know if anything develops.

tutuzdad-ga

I added a question clarification...thank for all the help