Interests > Around the House & In the Garage
radiator cap on automobile
franksolich:
We really need an automobile forum.
Anyway, an exchange of e-mails between franksolich and a local attorney:
--- Quote ---When driving to [a small town] to pick up some money this afternoon, about six miles west of here, the temperature gauge suddenly soared upward. I immediately stopped the car and opened the hood.
The radiator cap was half slipped-off, and so fluid was bubbling out of that. One of the city councilmen, and then a state patrolman, and then a farmer, and then a South Dakota state representative, and then a hunter, stopped, but I told them to go on ahead; I didn't need anything.
After a few minutes, I screwed the radiator cap back on tightly, and had no problems all the way to [the small town], and all the way back here; everything including the gauges worked the way they're supposed to.
Question.
Why would the radiator cap pop off?
The last time anyone (which was myself) messed with the radiator cap was that night I ran out of gasoline, about two weeks ago. I have since then driven more than 1000 miles since then, no problems.
It was -18 degrees F here this morning when I started the vehicle, to go to the county clerk's office. I had considerable difficulty getting it started--the first time ever--but got it started.
And then nothing else until driving to [the small town] hours later.
What I am wondering is this--might I, that night two weeks ago, put the radiator cap back on, but only 99% back on--which was enough to not cause any problems.....until this really frigid morning? Perhaps something froze, and loosened the radiator cap?
I didn't lose hardly any radiator fluid, having stopped quickly enough. But at any rate, the vehicle is getting its regular routine oil change and all that in the morning (Friday morning), and I'll ask the mechanic about it.
--- End quote ---
The response of the local attorney:
--- Quote ---When the air temperature is 18 below and you are driving down the highway, enough air is passing through that honeycomb material on your radiator to cause very rapid cooling. That could cause your thermostat to go shut, which would result in very rapid warmup of the engine and the symptoms you describe. When the thermostat opens up again, everything goes back to normal.
I had an aunt once, who took a trip in Minnesota in very cold weather, and her thermostat kept going back closed on her, and then the overheat light would come on on a 25 below zero day. The thermostat would open again, allowing all of the coolant to circulate, and things would go back to normal again until the cold air again caused the thermostat to close. A thermostat serves to rapidly warm the engine, staying closed and not allowing the coolant to circulate. When the engine warms, the thermostat opens.
Sometimes it might be helpful to partially block (half of the radiator surface area) your radiator with a piece of cardboard so there is less cooling allowed and the thermostat then stays open. That would have worked for my aunt if she had known to do it. If you look at the front of some semis, they have controllable "curtains" in front of their radiators which they can open and close as driving conditions dictate.
The overheating you experienced would happen quickly and possibly created enough pressure in the system to pop the radiator cap off, especially if it wasn't quite seated in the first place.
You might have your coolant tested, too, to be sure you are getting freeze protection down to 30 below or better. You might have a mixture of water and anti-freeze that is only protecting you to 15-20 below, especially if you haven't been keeping up with the anti-freeze, water mix in the radiator. Those systems have become so reliable, quite a few people aren't checking them until there is a problem, a mistake which could cause major damage if your engine freezes up. And an 18 below zero night like we had last night might do it.
Usually, even a weak mixture will not freeze solid, but turn slushy, and then not circulate properly untill the engine heats it up. The expansion forces that result from freezing liquid are awesome, will break almost anything, including concrete and steel. It would destroy your engine, probably.
It is important to know how much freeze protection you have.
--- End quote ---
Well, the oil is being changed, and all that other good stuff, this morning (Friday morning) anyway, and I'll ask the mechanic about it.
There's always a first time in life for everything, such as two weeks ago when for the first time I ran out of gasoline (and thought it was something "bigger" than that), and now, for the first time in this life, the radiator cap popped off (for the record, the vehicle has been used considerably since that incident, and all seems to be fine).
NHSparky:
Which is why most folks in REALLY cold regions cover their grills during winter. If you have a new make vehicle, see your dealer or auto parts store for a cover. Otherwise, cardboard works too.
MASHLover:
yep cardboard works wonders, it helps block that cold air coming in which would help to keep the engine warm and not cycle the thermostat. It also helps to keep the inside warm because your heater also uses the water that goes through the engine. If the water does not get very hot, your heater will not seem to be working as well when in all actuality its just the water does not get a chance to heat up enough.
Lord Undies:
You know, Franklin, being a southern boy who will only visit the frigid north in the warmth of Summer, this is all news to me. I assumed, like a Pollyanna, that any industry that can come up with cruise control and power brakes would have, by now, come to grips with radiators and extreme cold driving conditions. If nothing else, I think they would include a formfitting piece of cardboard in the truck by the spare tire.
franksolich:
--- Quote from: Lord Undies on January 25, 2008, 08:34:26 AM ---You know, Franklin, being a southern boy who will only visit the frigid north in the warmth of Summer, this is all news to me. I assumed, like a Pollyanna, that any industry that can come up with cruise control and power brakes would have, by now, come to grips with radiators and extreme cold driving conditions. If nothing else, I think they would include a formfitting piece of cardboard in the truck by the spare tire.
--- End quote ---
Well, they might, and I haven't noticed it yet in the trunk.
I got this vehicle on November 17; there's a lot of things I haven't noticed yet.
This reminds me of the previous vehicle, which I had gotten from the local John C. Calhoun--it was several months before I opened the trunk, only to find a virtual arsenal of firearms in it.
Of course, these were ruined firearms (bent barrels, broken stock, rusted, whatnot), because the previous owner used to use, for example, rifles as levers to pry something open. There were nine busted, or partial, firearms in the trunk, nothing of any value, so on the recommendation of the sheriff, I tossed them.
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