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#1
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Radiator caps go bad?
You learn something new every day, as they say :/
Does it seem like my questions are easier than everyone else's or what? :p Not but 10 minutes after my last auto-x I noticed a coolant leak from a distance and found the area under the battery wet. Checked some things... nothing out of place. No biggy. I drove really hard, something probably got temporarily wacky. Today, I mobbed out to an inspection, noticed coolant leaking from about where the radiator is. Checked it out, could not find any leaks or even any wet spots aside from the oil pan, which was odd. Drove slowly and solidly afterwards, and made an apointment with Dan the man. We leave it running, he pops the cap off, stares at the drink for a sec, tells me to shut it off. Shows me the radiator cap. He says a good cap should take about 15-20 lbs of pressure to depress that spring. He was compressing it fully and with little effort from his thumb and guarantees getting a new cap would probably fix the problem. I never knew. Drove home slowly, no leak. Thoughts?
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"That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." '92 Dark Teal SVX LS-L, >146,000m 3 pedals, 5 speeds., restoration underway. 2012 Honda Insight, slow but cute. |
#2
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Yea I had to replace my cap a while back and it solved my radiator leaking problem..
until a hose eventually got loose and blew coolant everywhere... then I had to fix the hose and that solved the problem... until it started to crack by the neck.... then I changed the radiator and solved that problem.... I put new hoses and clamps on just in case
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Tim 92 Liquid Silver SVX 5MT 2009 BMW Z4 (Gone) 2012 Camry V6 SE |
#3
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When I went to get a 16 psi cap about a year ago, I tested it for pressure before I installed it. It bled down at about 7-8 psi. Went back to Advance, tried three more before I found a new one that actually held 16 psi.
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www.svxfiles.com The first SuperCharged SVX, the first 4.44 gears, the first equal length headers, the first phenolic spacers, the first Class Glass fiberglass hood, the first with 4, 4.44s in his driveway Fiberglass Hood thread My locker 4.44 Swap link |
#4
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Quote:
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. Earl .... ... .... ><SVX(*> Subaru Ambassador [COLOR=”silver”]1992 Tri Color L[/COLOR] ~45K (06/91) #2430 1992 Dark Teal LS-L ~184K (05/91) #0739 1992 Claret LS-L ~196K (05/91) #0831 1992 Pearl LS-L ~103K (06/91) #1680 1992 Pearl LS-L ~151K (06/91) #2229 1992 Dark Teal LS ~150K (07/91) #3098 (parts car) 1992 White LS-L ~139K (08/92) #6913 1993 25th AE ~98K (02/93) #164 1993 25th AE ~58K (02/93) #176 1993 25th AE ~107K (02/93) #215 1993 25th AE ~162K (02/93) #223 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~124K (1/94) #2408 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~144K (10/93) #1484 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~68K (10/93) #1525 1994 Barcelona Red LSi ~46K (02/94) #2624 1994 Pearl LSi ~41K (12/93) #1961 1995 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~70K (02/95) #855 1996 Polo Green LSi ~95K (03/96) #872 1997 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~55K (08/96) #097 2003 Brilliant Red LS1 Convertible ~29K (04/03) #8951 1999 Magnetic Red LS1 Coupe ~33K (04/99) #6420 My Email | Old Locker | New Locker | Picture of 15 of the 19 |
#5
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Regardless of the cap's condition, coolant forced past the cap seal under pressure should make its way to the coolant reservoir. Is your overflow reservoir absolutely full? If not, I think you'd do well to keep an eye out for a leak.
dcb |
#6
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Everything, given enough time, goes bad
Dave |
#7
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Quote:
Like my first wife.....
__________________
www.svxfiles.com The first SuperCharged SVX, the first 4.44 gears, the first equal length headers, the first phenolic spacers, the first Class Glass fiberglass hood, the first with 4, 4.44s in his driveway Fiberglass Hood thread My locker 4.44 Swap link |
#8
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Quote:
Don't get me started!
__________________
. Earl .... ... .... ><SVX(*> Subaru Ambassador [COLOR=”silver”]1992 Tri Color L[/COLOR] ~45K (06/91) #2430 1992 Dark Teal LS-L ~184K (05/91) #0739 1992 Claret LS-L ~196K (05/91) #0831 1992 Pearl LS-L ~103K (06/91) #1680 1992 Pearl LS-L ~151K (06/91) #2229 1992 Dark Teal LS ~150K (07/91) #3098 (parts car) 1992 White LS-L ~139K (08/92) #6913 1993 25th AE ~98K (02/93) #164 1993 25th AE ~58K (02/93) #176 1993 25th AE ~107K (02/93) #215 1993 25th AE ~162K (02/93) #223 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~124K (1/94) #2408 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~144K (10/93) #1484 1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~68K (10/93) #1525 1994 Barcelona Red LSi ~46K (02/94) #2624 1994 Pearl LSi ~41K (12/93) #1961 1995 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~70K (02/95) #855 1996 Polo Green LSi ~95K (03/96) #872 1997 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~55K (08/96) #097 2003 Brilliant Red LS1 Convertible ~29K (04/03) #8951 1999 Magnetic Red LS1 Coupe ~33K (04/99) #6420 My Email | Old Locker | New Locker | Picture of 15 of the 19 |
#9
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What about the second?
and I'm considering a third??somebody smack me!
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ASE Certified Master Automotive Technician w/L1. ASE Certified Master Medium/Heavy Truck Technician. Certified EVT (Emergency Vehicle Technician) |
#10
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Quote:
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"That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." '92 Dark Teal SVX LS-L, >146,000m 3 pedals, 5 speeds., restoration underway. 2012 Honda Insight, slow but cute. |
#11
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So the failed head gasket makes enough pressure to cause everything in the cooling system to fail one item at a time until you finally figure out what's happening. Of course, if the manufacturers designed their engines to run about ten degrees cooler, we wouldn't have to use pressurized cooling systems and none of these parts would ever fail, (except for the head gasket.) Kinda makes you wish you had an old Volkswagen. |
#12
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Quote:
If wine sat around for 5,000 years I bet it would go bad Dave |
#13
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I don't think the rad cap is the problem.
My car did the same thing at autox last sunday. I know it's not my cap because it's new (came with radiator). I'm thinking the clamps on my lower rad hose are not tight enough.
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David B. SVXipedia @ SVX-IW.COM -- SVX Information Warehouse 2.0 coming...eventually! Ebony 1992 SVX LS-L 5 spd Koni/GC Stebro 187k miles RIP (Rust In Pieces) 1993 SVX 5 spd Koni/GC Stebro Polyurethane bushings still available! |
#14
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Quote:
I am also pretty confident my lower rad hose and cap are the only things that need to be replaced though. There's also the off chance the TB coolant bypass and T cooler bypass are making the thing run hotter, despite my temp needle reading about 40%. I've been wondering this since I installed the tranny cooler. If we remove enough components from the circulation of coolant, those parts will be cooler, but less heat will be escaping the actual circulation. Then I had a thought of running extra tube from the tb bypass into a small radiator or external cooler through the hood (: which I may do if I get a hood with a scoop :)
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"That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." '92 Dark Teal SVX LS-L, >146,000m 3 pedals, 5 speeds., restoration underway. 2012 Honda Insight, slow but cute. |
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