Pop Goes the Coolant Bottle Cap

[frosh29]

Hey Everyone,

I have a weird issue. Even though I run a FMIC with short route piping, I found a location that my stock coolant bottle fits into nicely. My problem is this. For the past two times that I lifted my hood, the cap to the coolant bottle is popped off of the bottle and raised up a little bit.

I know these cars are old, and I suspect that the inside of the cap is worn down and is not creating the seal it once was. The question is, is there something that I can do about it to make the cap fitment a little more snug so it stays on?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[ErikTande]

Where did you put the coolant bottle? I'm going to be installing a short route FMIC fairly soon as well. What other issues did you run in to?


I would visit a junkyard and find a new(er) cap and see if that fixes it. Is the bottle being compressed in any way?

 

[BogusSVO]

I would want to find the reason it keeps popping off.

The over flow is a non pressurized container.

Is it just shaking off from driving, bumpy roads?

Is something bumping it and knocking it off?

Or is pressure making its way in there to be vented?

 

[Mello]

^^ Or is the vent hole on the coolant bottle cap plugged?

 

[frosh29]

Bogus,

Im running KYB AGX's and the car is lowered about 1.5 - 2"s. It's a really bumpy ride. I think that, coupled with the wear on the inside edges of the cap are rattling it off. It doesn't take much at all for the cap to pop off with my fingers.

I'm really looking for suggestions on how to make the cap a little tighter. I DO have another coolant bottle and cap somewhere in my basement, but I jut finished moving and finding that piece is going to difficult with the collection of DSM parts I have acquired over the years ...

Erik,

I will take some pics of the setup tonight and upload them to this thread so you can see the location. I DO think that the bottle is being flexed a little bit, which may be adding to the issue, however, I don't think the top of the bottle (the round part where the cap connects) is being stretched, but I may be wrong.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will report back here with my findings.

-Scott

 

[jayson427]

You could probably buy a new one from Jnztuning. Com

 

[frosh29]

Mello,

Just saw your response. I will def take a look at that...Although Bogus is saying that it's a non pressurized container...

Jayson,

Still hurt financially from the move. Don't want to buy something at this point....

-Scott

 

[BogusSVO]

The overflow bottle is vented, It has to allow the coolant that expands in the rad to flow in to it when the engine is at op temp, so the coolant has to displace the air in the bottle.

Then as the engine cools, the coolant is sucked back into the rad, so air has to flow back into the bottle.

Some caps have a pin sized hole, others will have a vent tube

 

[frosh29]

Mine has the hose/tube. I have not tried to see if it's blocked, but it may be. I will check that. I know for sure that I'm not loosing coolant from the engine and radiator though, so that could very well be the issue.

-Scott

 

[BogusSVO]

I had a mud dobber plug mine once on my old bird after it had been parked for a while.

 

[DSM Jeff]

I had an issue where my coolant would go low and bottle would be empty. Couldn't figure it out and found the cap had a blockage in it. I would just check that you can blow through the line going to the cap. Once the cap was cleared, no coolant issues.

 

[frosh29]

What's a mud dobber?

-Scott

 

[BogusSVO]

What's a mud dobber?

-Scott

It is some kind of bee that builds its nests out of mud.

The mud is white in color when it dries.

I have a pile of SBC intakes that they have filled all the holes up with mud.