Hello again, radiator lovers!

Have you ever wondered:  what is an auto radiator?  If so, this is a technical but very understandable video about what a radiator does and how an automobile radiator is put together in the factory.  I was thrilled that at last there is a female narrator for a radiator video!  Unfortunately, I was quickly put off by the way she mispronounced the very basic and important word, “radiator.”  She said rad-iator (as in “rad” when it refers to something that is really cool, or “rad” as in radish.)  I’ve never heard it pronounced this way so even though she had a nice voice, after she did this eight times, I was led to believe she was reading a script and didn’t have a clue about what she was saying regarding manufacturing radiators.  Oh well – progress of sorts, I suppose.

As to the video itself, if you want a simple explanation about how your car’s cooling system is put together and works, this video will probably do the trick for you.  It shows what a radiator manufacturer does in order to produce quality radiators from start to finish, all with great up-close shots that make what the narrator-gal says easy to follow.  Explaining the problem of engine-generated heat and the use of radiator fluids composed of a mixture of water and anti-freeze to deal with the heating problem, we are taken along a journey through the many automated (producing shapes, thicknesses, etc.)  and manual processes (welding, hammering) done in order to produce radiator tubes from paper thin brass and cooling fins, which are stacked together to make up the radiator’s body.  The materials used throughout a radiator are described, along with why they work for each particular need.  For instance, even the final coat of paint is a heat-resistant blend.  Great background material and this video also gives you an appreciation of the thought and complexity that go into making a radiator and I am going to appreciate mine a whole lot more, as a result.

- Susie

Greetings, friends. In this video I learned how to approach the removal of my car’s radiator hoses, which is (I suppose) something you need to do before you begin a new radiator installation. That in itself is more than I learn about cars on most days so I am completely satisfied just 5 seconds into the clip.

I think the guy talking is named Danny and that he is the same auto repair beginner that I saw in another video recently on this site. At least, he looks familiar, which is a start. His claim to fame is that he follows directions from a book. However, he showed us how to pull out and replace a headlight bulb in the other clip, which makes me wonder if he is as “dumb” as he claims. At any rate, he now shows us where is the radiator hose and how do we remove radiator hoses before doing a radiator repair. If I had any doubts about Danny in that earlier video clip- clean cut, polite, and claiming blissful ignorance – I am past it now because but he truly looks puzzled as he refers from the book to the engine and back again, scratching his head.

Finally, he points to a hose and announces that it is one of two hoses that we need to disconnect. He calls it the upper hose and he says so with authority. Yeah, Danny, I think to myself. Then he admits that he doesn’t know where the other hose is and I begin to wonder if he will ever remove two radiator hoses in my lifetime. He mentions that the errant hose is somewhere on the “bottom.” Stay tuned. The next video clip I trip across with Danny is bound to wrap up this exciting auto repair and radiator removal escapade. Still, I have to wonder. If Danny is the do it yourself radiator learner that he claims to be, how DID he know that the other hose is somewhere on the bottom and not off to the side? Does he know more than he is telling us?

- Susie