well guys, i believe i have a problem in finding the right radiator cap, not sure tho. the problem is, is that i replaced the radiator, got the fan running constantly, and the thermostat is out, but i plan on puttin a 160 back in there and when i turn on my car and let it run for awhile(like 10-15 minutes) pressure builds like crazy and the hoses start to look like they want to swell a little and coolant never goes into the reservoir to relieve the pressure. i bought a replacement radiator from advanced auto parts for a 92 camaro rs 305 and i bought the cap from autozone that was a Oe replacement for same car. so i took the cap back to try to find a slimmer cap but couldnt find one, just one that compresses at a lower pressure. anyone know what my issue could be? i really believe once i can get it to overflow to the reservoir then my overheating problems should go away. any help would greatly be appreciated.

thx,
Jeff

p.s. here is the link for the radiator i bought from advance auto parts http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web..._1595261134___

and here is the link to the radiator cap i bought from auto zone
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...7_167256_2695_

hope the links help a little, and in advance... ty for the tips/info

 

o and i forgot to add that when i try to look at the clearance i get from pushing the cap up to see if it will let coolant go through the hole.... it seems like it is almost a 1/4 inch too long. by the way, im still learning mechanics.... teaching myself from haynes manual and so far so good till this

 

Hoses will expand a bit, but not much unless they are bad - bad hoses will expand. You need a 16lb cap (takes 16lbs pressure to overflow). You're not overflowing because with no stat and fans on constantly your not getting hot enough to create the preesure for the rad cap.

160 stat too cold - ECM will be always running motor rich because it never warms up to operating temp. Get a 180.

Same with fans running constantly - not good. Fans not needed at all at any speed above 35mph - so you are just constantly running fan that doesn't need to be. Could reduce heating, causing the same rich condition above. Get the fans wired correctly like factory, or install a seperate fan controller that is adjustable and set operating range temp (210 on, 190 off).

 

thx for the info . i guess i shoulda thought of replacing the hoses since the previous owner said it overheated... but i guess i forgot and was just looking for frayed or bad looking hoses. so when i replace those it should build pressure to push the cap to overflow the excess instead of just making the hoses swell. by the way, anyone have a diagram for the fan harness? i need to know where the relays and stuff are located to, cuz i have no idea :P

 

What about if you try to start car without cap, what happens. I have a simular thing with coolent not going into overflow, but when I try to start with out cap it burps out of the radiator

 

thats what i did before the hoses started to swell a little, just didnt notice any overflow

 

Did it spew out of radiator??

 

yea, when it started spewing, i put on cap and let it run for awhile, thats when it swelled. then i tried it again.