Ever wanted to pressure test your coolant system, but could find a adapter?

That's what I said above.

My question is rhetorical for a pair of Johns who are disparaging the need to test caps.

No comment yet....

 

How about a little common sense. The cooling system is suppose to operate under pressure. Typically about 1 bar. The radiator cap is suppose to remain closed under those conditions. If it opens at too low a pressure you will be pissing coolant out and eventually the car would over heat if you don't notice a puddle on the garage floor after a drive, or pay any attention to your temp gage (you are supposed to look at them, that's why they are there). The other option is that it doesn't open at all. If that happens, as long as the car is running correctly it dosen't have any impact because the cap isn't supposed to open under normal conditions. As I posted above, if the cap doesn't open it could result in a popped hose or a split radiator but something else would have to be wrong to create the required over pressure.

By the way, when was the last time anyone pressure tested a radiator cap on any car?

 

Like i said , its a $30 part , if its suspect , you just spend 30 damn dollars and replace it , of all the tools we have i dont think we have a tool to test the cap , we also dont have a tool to test tire valve stems . Lol , know why , they cost about 5 cents !


" serenity now "

 

And here begins the great radiator cap testing controversy , i love it . Lets hope it goes on for hundreds of posts . Fingers crossed ! Lol


" serenity now "

 

What the auto repair industry really needs is a light bulb tester . Be about as useful as a radiator cap tester


" serenity now "

 

But if the original one failed how can you trust another $30 piece of garbage. What we need is a GRCK, (gold radiator cap kit) about $500 retail should do it. Guaranteed to be accurate.


"In that case, how can you be sure that's accurate?

Because a split second before the pressure was applied to the radiator cap, it had been calibrated by top members of the state and federal Departments of Weights and Measures, to be dead-on balls accurate.

"Dead-on balls accurate"?

It's an industry term."

 

Just about pissed myself

 

Heck we had to test the cap part of protocal from whats now the biggest car company (they say they are). Spend .1 hours testing something that cost $4 at the time then test the new cap to be sure it's within spec.

I did not write that one but several just as bad.

Their 20R motor if you put a (aftermarket) cap on 2 lbs over rated head gaskets were not warranted.

We live in a silly world

 

You are 1 funny guy! Too bad any pro with any common sense won't post on this site anymore with experts like you,and your fan club, to guide us forward!

 

Its rumored that the deluxe GRCK has a digital display that reads out the date , time , and moon phase at which the failure will occur.


" serenity now "

 

So the head gasket on a Toyota has to withstand around 500psi from the combustion process but would fail from 2psi over the coolant pressure which is typically 1 bar?

 

Said pros dont post for the same reasons dentists dont post on dental forums how to do a root canal on yourself at home . Ouch!


" serenity now "

 

Yep. The pros I trust generally have too much business to spend time posting on some social network where much of what you read is pure nonsense. There are lots of nice guys around here, and some have a sense of humor, but the bottom line is that it is a social site and while I will take under consideration any technical advice/info posted here it's not now nor never will be my go to site for technical advice.

And I'm still waiting to see how many people have had a serious failure due to a radiator cap malfunction.

 

Thats right , the gasket is protected on the combustion side by a fire ring , but has no such pressure protection on the coolant passages


" serenity now "

 

Bravo ! I usually only post wise cracks , post something knowledgeable , that you do for a living , and someone that knows nothing will always start an arguement . It gets old , so wise cracks it is !
Its like the day i gave some insight to what goes on behind the scenes of dealer only auctions , something i've been doing for 20 years , and i got badgered by an ( adolescent ) whos daddy " might " own a dalealership.

" serenity now "

 

If the cap does not hold sufficient pressure there will be cavitation in the cooling system. There is one 550 getting a very expensive overhaul right now because cavitation bored a hole right through one of the cylinders. A few others were badly damaged. Also cooling system just cannot function as designed unless it maintains proper pressure.

Caps go bad frequently. They are supposed to be tested at every service.

I thought the whole reason to do it yourself was to be sure it was done right yet this whole topic seems to be a mystery.

 

With the prices i've seen here for services , it would just be good measure to include it as a required item . Would it really matter if the bill for a major was $9000 or $9030 . Owners here talk of peice of mind , if its an issue , for your own piece of mind spend $30 a year and replace it yearly if youre paranoid , its a damn ferrari , were talking 30 bucks! I replaced mine last year , didnt test the old one , just said , gee , i think i 'll put a new one on to be sure . Simple


" serenity now "

 

Ive owned the shop for twenty years now , its simple , pressure test the cooling system for pressure loss , if no loss found , bring car up to operating temp , loosen cap , if no pressure escapes , cap is bad , last step , replace cap . No $500 grck tool required. Lol

Damn , i just broke my rule of no useful info .
" serenity now "

 

As often as they go bad it is by default an included item and I am not talking about majors, I'm talking about annuals. I had one here a few weeks ago that really surprised me. The cap was a year old and still passed. I was really surprised. I buy those caps by the bag full. I stock more of those POS 145030 radiator caps than oil filters. I pressure test them before I install them. One source was selling me about 25% bad caps.

 

You call that a test?

That does not even rise to the level of idiotic.

 

In all honesty, I'd rather test a cap than buy new coz you don't know the new will work properly.....

 

Irrelevant analogy John.

 

If you need tooling to check for cavitation I have your answer. Would be happy to send you a few to play with
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It's like shooting fish in a barrell
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Pot stirred . Its almost too easy .


" serenity now "