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jmrydholm
06-27-2011, 10:11 PM
Hey all,

I had a rather "exciting" experience earlier today. The old rubber seal on the (OEM I think?) radiator fluid cap gave out while I was parked at my fiancee's apartment lot. I was sticking my head under the front of the car, looking for something when I noticed a really strong smell of antifreeze! The radiator and water pump were fine, but the steel bottle was geysering. I lost a decent amount of fluid, so I ran to the nearest auto parts store and bought a cap that fit. However, DMCH told me they're rated for a 15 lb. cap. I put a 16 lb. cap on and poured a whole bottle of 50/50 coolant into it. Is the 16 lb. cap alright? I asked the clerk for the closest thing to a "Volvo or Renault" type car that would fit it. My fans are coming on normally and I drove it home about 11 miles with absolutely no trouble after that. The edge of my bleeder hose shrank a little due to the extreme heat, but it's clamped on firmly and there are no other leaks in the water pump area. That one pound difference in the new cap should be alright, shouldn't it? At the very least, the rubber is in way better condition as it is brand new.

Thanks for any input!
-John
#10715

jmrydholm
06-27-2011, 10:16 PM
Oh, this was what went through my head when I saw it. :)

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2/blackcrim/terry20geyser.gif
"POWAA GEYSAAAA!!!" (Power Geyser) -Terry Bogard, Fatal Fury

DMC3165
06-28-2011, 02:24 PM
We had a similar thread going on the old site about this. It was a simple question that turned into a fiasco of ridiculous anawers and BS that was just absurd.

But I digress. Yes you are fine with a 16# cap as long as it doesn't leak. Some caps have a small tab on the bottom that doesn't fit the Delo tank and will leak. I'm running a 16# cap now and have been for about six months with no issues. I was told it would only be a difference of 5 degrees before the cap pops so no worries there.

jmrydholm
06-28-2011, 02:39 PM
We had a similar thread going on the old site about this. It was a simple question that turned into a fiasco of ridiculous anawers and BS that was just absurd.

But I digress. Yes you are fine with a 16# cap as long as it doesn't leak. Some caps have a small tab on the bottom that doesn't fit the Delo tank and will leak. I'm running a 16# cap now and have been for about six months with no issues. I was told it would only be a difference of 5 degrees before the cap pops so no worries there.

Thanks! I've had a Dodge Spirit radiator shatter on me before, and my OEM DeLorean radiator was long gone when I bought it, so now I'm just paranoid every time I see green. "That's not Mountain Dew..." *shudder*
-John
#10715

Edit: PS- the latch on the new cap is red plastic as opposed to the all metal on the original, any risk of melting that? The engine compartment gets pretty hot in the summer here.

Bitsyncmaster
06-28-2011, 03:27 PM
Edit: PS- the latch on the new cap is red plastic as opposed to the all metal on the original, any risk of melting that? The engine compartment gets pretty hot in the summer here.

My cap has the same and not problems with it.

Mine is 13 or 14 PSI.

jmrydholm
06-28-2011, 04:05 PM
About how much is the optimum fill level? My SS bottle doesn't have a sight glass or anything, I just have to take the cap off and eyeball it. I bought another jug just in case I didn't fill it enough.

DMC3165
06-28-2011, 04:11 PM
About how much is the optimum fill level? My SS bottle doesn't have a sight glass or anything, I just have to take the cap off and eyeball it. I bought another jug just in case I didn't fill it enough.

I was told between 1/3 and 1/2 when cold is ok.

jmrydholm
06-28-2011, 04:15 PM
Great! That's about what I have it at now. I'll double check the levels to be sure. Thanks, Chris.

-John
#10715

content22207
06-28-2011, 10:38 PM
The coolant expansion tank serves the same purpose as the air gap on top of a traditional radiator. You can fill it all the way up if you so desire -- the system will spit out whatever it doesn't want.

Bill Robertson
#5939

Doogie
06-28-2011, 11:33 PM
I agree with Bill. I have a 1922 Ford Model T, that has a huge expansion gap tank at the top of the radiator. You can fill it all the way to the top, and she'll spit out what she doesn't want, and no more.

jmrydholm
06-28-2011, 11:37 PM
I've usually kept it near-full. I may take the time this weekend once I sort out my fiancee's broken trailing arm problem (whole other story) to snug up my bleeder hose. Don't want that popping off while on the road.

outatym2001
06-29-2011, 02:32 AM
The fill level in your expansion tank (Header Bottle Assembly part 101944) is printed in your DeLorean Owner’s Handbook on page 22. If you don’t got one, get one. Part number P2205011. $15.00.

It has many helpful tools to operate your DeLorean like how to operate your wind shield wipers, your turn signals, your climate controls, your hand brake, your steering column adjustment, your cooling fan fail warning indicator, your interior lights, your horn, your fuse box, your tire pressure information, and to jump start your vehicle and many more.

David T
06-29-2011, 09:52 AM
Radiator pressure caps are not that accurate. A 15# cap can actually be 16# and a 16 # can be 15#. The main issue is how long it's been since the cooling system was last serviced and the age of the parts. I would be especially cautious putting a 16# cap on a system with original hoses, radiator, header bottle, and water pump. The header bottle should be 1/2 full when cold. I fill it all the way up and have an overflow bottle connected to the overflow hose under the radiator cap. If you do overfill the header bottle it will, as Bill says, just spit it out. The problem with doing that is if the cap gets stuck it will ALL spit out because the cap won't seal again under pressure if it is old.
David Teitelbaum

jmrydholm
06-29-2011, 10:00 AM
Thanks, lol I feel dumb now...I have the manual on a CD but never thought of that! *facepalm* I don't think my bottle ever had any visible fill line marks on the exterior. Mine is a lo-res scanned copy, I should really carry the nice, printed valet edition from DMCH around in the car. I used to stick my Datsun's in the glovebox. I'll have to replace my workshop manual as well, I seem to have mislaid that in May of this year. Either that or someone at the garage that was working on it "borrowed" it grr....Time to buy some new ones!

The good news is I had the antifreeze at almost that exact area illustrated just by eyeballing it.