rad cap

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

Is anyone using the higher pressure rad caps?Do they work well or do you end up with leaks?CAN-AWD-VIBE

[Mavrik]

I've never had any issues with the stock one...any reason you need a higher pressure one?

[northvibe]

TRD makes one for our car aka trix and i hear the Echo one fits too but isnt as high for the number thing. Napa also sells one that works at the same number (performance). They raise the boiling point of the coolant.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

a higher pressure rad cap brings the boiling point of the coolant up. this is supposed to help keep engine temp cooler or more easily cooled.the reason i ask- lthis summer with myself, wife, 2 kids, the dog and a rooftop carrier full of camping stuff driving to yakima, wa up the hills the engine temp guage started to rise... past the halfway point. Keep in mind I had my foot on the floor and that little engine was working very hard for a long time. Anyway, I was thinking of the supercharger and the extra heat it will generate and wondered if this could be a simple helpful solution.I throw it back out there... has anyone tried them and will it help in these types of situations... i will be back in yakima next summer with the same load... kids will be bigger and so will the dog.CAN-AWD-VIBE

[northvibe]

I think some users on MO have them and a couple people with celica's. Im not sure they felt a performance but it would be good if you were driving in heat or the car hard for long periods of time. Also if you are going to be driving your car hard or in heat a new Performance thermostat should be considered aswell.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

Yeah, after I posted I searched out the MO forums. This is what I found in case anyone else does a search or wants to know.http://matrixowners.com/forums...r+capAfter reading all of that I think I will get the Echo rad cap as it is higher pressure, but not too much. If it helps even just a little it will be worth it.It is also a lot cheaper then the TRD or Greddy versions and a great excuse to visit my neighborhood Toyota dealer... that also has a performance shop inside it. So thanks for the help but I ultimately answered my own question... well pcgeek did on MO. THANKS CAN-AWD-VIBE

[djb383]

Here's some more interesting reading - click on tip #2, radiator caps.http://stewartcomponents.com/Tech_Tips.htm

[ToolGuy]

I find this interesting and it will not hurt to try a cap but I doubt you will see a difference. The temps you saw are really not that alarming. The car was cooling but it just got a little hotter. Seems to me your car was doing just what it was supposed to be doing. As long as your coolant is good and depending on your mileage, your thermostat has been changed out, I would not worry about it. And make sure your radiator is clean in front

[LUVROK]

You can't raise the boiling point of your coolant without actually changing the mixture or the components of the mixture. All a high pressure cap will do is take longer to release steam. If steam is coming out aof your lower pressure cap you are overheating and have other things to worry about.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

Did you read this post before you typed.Click on dj383's link... go to rad caps... what does it say?Radiator CapsIn a cooling system, a higher pressure equates to a higher boiling point for the coolant.Pretty simply stated. You can also raise the boiling point of coolant the same as lowering the freezing point, by changing the mixture. However straight coolant is not a good idea, and I cant go straight water, that is also not good for me.By changing my rad cap from .9 to 1.1 or 1.2 I will raise the boiling point slightly, keeping normal coolant specs. This may or may not give my "little engine that could" a chance to get up a very large hill, fully loaded, foot to the floor forever, without making the temp guage rise. Maybe it will help more when I get the sc. I dunno?No steam. No OVERheating.I just wanted to know if anyone has tried this out and could tell me "Hey CAN-AWD-VIBE, I have a TRD rad cap and after I supercharged it and went racing the temps definitely stayed lower. Before I was getting into the 3/4 or more range on the guage and now it's always at 1/2.or"Ya I got one and on the same hill with the same stuff and the same dog my temp. guage didn't even move like it did last year."Apparently nobody has, and that's ok. So I will try it out, and if it works then the next time someone asks if those high pressure rad caps do anything, I will know.It never hurts to ask... you never know what you might learn. But you have to read the post before you type. Cause LUVROCK... you're not on the same page.CAN-AWD-VIBE

[NewNeptune]

Quote, originally posted by LUVROK »You can't raise the boiling point of your coolant without actually changing the mixture or the components of the mixture. All a high pressure cap will do is take longer to release steam. If steam is coming out aof your lower pressure cap you are overheating and have other things to worry about.Raising the pressure on a liquid automatically increases it's boiling point. That's why water boils at lower temperatures at high altitude.

[2002sportside]

Quote, originally posted by LUVROK »You can't raise the boiling point of your coolant without actually changing the mixture or the components of the mixture. All a high pressure cap will do is take longer to release steam. If steam is coming out aof your lower pressure cap you are overheating and have other things to worry about.Actually, for every pound of pressure in the cooling system you raise the boiling temp by three degrees. So, a 15psi cap would raise the boiling temp by 45 degrees. That is how they keep coolant from boiling in an engine, by simply raising it's boiling point. I learned this in Basic Engines. Howstuffworks.com has a good explanation of it too.I plan to get one of these although I don't know if it will actually help anything, I haven't taken heating and cooling yet...