blown coolant cap?

P

pontiacws699

New member
Anyone ever blow the plastic coolant cap off of there coolant over flow? I was coming home from the track sun and about 30 mins after i left the track I have a run in with a new doge charger r/t(v8) and raced him from 60-100 twice (winning once) before slowing down into town then he wanted another run, guess he couldnt believe it(cool guys though) and after the twon we didn it the same way and once i slowed dow to 60ish i saw my temp gauge was almost in the red. Not there yet and I start praying that it doesnt go into the red so I put down the windows and turn the heat on:roll: and it doesnt go in the red. I pull over and I see that its wet all over on the passenger side of the engine bay. I start freakin out and I pretty much track it down to the cap of the over flow tank. All the other hoses, radiator ect were pretty much dry and not leakin. Im not sure if wasnt just on there tight but I cant understand why it didnt do it ealier at the track. I refilled it up and drove to work and it never really went over 160* today.
 
P

pontiacws699

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

thats always comforting.....:lol: guess ill check that tomorrow morning. am i just lookin for foan on the oil cap?
 
NJ93TY

NJ93TY

Donating Member
Re: blown coolant cap?

For the coolant to blow over into the bottle that much you were most likely overheating for some reason. Thermostat stuck, bad fan clutch, etc... Maybe you have a leak? Check for coolant leaks first then verify proper thermostat & fan operation.
 
T

turboj91

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

A BHG has the capability of putting pressure into the cooling system/overflow. Were you data logging while at the track to check on detonation? How far is work from your house?
 
P

pontiacws699

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

turboj91 said:
A BHG has the capability of putting pressure into the cooling system/overflow. Were you data logging while at the track to check on detonation? How far is work from your house?
Click to expand...

No I wasnt data logging. I wish i had though. I got datamaster on the laptop but the cable i got is the wrong port for my laptop.:squint: Work is less than a 1/4 mile at 35 mph. At the track I never had even a hickup at all. Even most of the way home until the last roll race. I was actually a littel afraid to stop goin down the hwy. I figured it would be best to keep air movin over the motor.
 
gkrcr882

gkrcr882

SyTyless......for now!
Re: blown coolant cap?

Blown head gasket will force oil into the cooling system while the engine is running, due to higher pressure. When the truck is shut down, residual pressure in the cooling system is more than oil system pressure (0), so coolant will be forced into the oil system (the pan). Look for a foamy mix and an abnormally high level on the engine oil dipstick. Cooling system pressure testers can be rented from AZ IIRC. Also, be sure to check the cap to make sure it's releasing/holding pressure properly. If you remove the radiator cap and see oil floating in the coolant, bad things are brewing.

When the coolant was running down everywhere, was the bottle empty or full? If it was an overheat condition, the expansion of the coolant would force some into the bottle, raising the level. There should never be pressure in the overflow tank for any reason.
 
P

pontiacws699

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

unfortunatly I cant tell. the coolant was already out of the tank. There wasnt alot of coolant all over but it looked like someone opened a chook up soda can real quick . I drove it home this morning and its 3/10ths of a mile and it was fine and the needle didnt really move. About 30min ago I went out and started it up and let it run for a few minutes and it was fine. when i started to drive around the development the needle started to rise. it went up to the 200's. I pulled it in the driveway and shut it off. I popped the hood and the tank was empty after filling it up last night. And I could here the radiator yellin at me like i pissed in it wheateys this morning. Bubbling pretty good. The hose from the radiator to the thermostat was realy realy hot. I looked around the best i could and I douldnt see any leaks anywere. all the hoses were good and the drivers side head looked good but I really couldnt see the passenger side head with the intercooler in the way. I cant see anything on the concrete either. I started it up again and let it idle for about 7-8 min and it went up to the 3rd notch on the temp gauge. so i shut it off I got some pics that i took with the phone thatll ill post in anther post cause this one is a book.
 
P

pontiacws699

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

sorry for the crappy pics but there from my phone

oil cap
0331101421.jpg


rubbed my finger in the top of the cap
0331101421a.jpg


dipstick and no im not referring to me although......
0331101422b.jpg
 
qbnkiller

qbnkiller

Conflaguration Specialist
Re: blown coolant cap?

when you pop the radiator cap off (while its cool) and start the truck, do you see any fluid movement? Did you lose the water pump?

If you squeeze the upper radiator hose, does it feel firm or squishy? Bad thermostat?

Your picture of oil on the dipstick doesnt show the whole dipstick....does the oil level go way above the FULL mark?
 
Don W.

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Re: blown coolant cap?

IMHO based on experience with my truck it's a head gasket , simple as that. Short term, water won't go into the oil because it doesn't have time. Water -will- eventually seep into the cyl and then when you start it the water, being non compressible, will lock the cyl and prolly bend that rod.

I didn't bend a rod but a head gasket was blown which did exactly what you're experiencing. Pull the plugs, do a compression or leak down test to find out which side it's on and fix it. Then since you're that far along the question becomes do you pull to other side to check?
 
qbnkiller

qbnkiller

Conflaguration Specialist
Re: blown coolant cap?

if you blow a HG into the intake, it should either dump the coolant into the oil or run like shit. If it blows out the exhaust, it should blow white smoke out the exhaust like a champ.

Add coolant/water to the radiator and look for leaks. If its not in the oil, not blowing white smoke, it's got to be leaking out somewhere.
 
P

pontiacws699

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

I dont really have any drivability issues but the temp gauge and no white smoke. not yet anyway. I put some more in there and see if I can find any. Guys I thank you for all the help.
 
dgoodhue

dgoodhue

BuSTeD 4.3
Re: blown coolant cap?

Any chance the stock intercooler is boiling over? It's connected to the same overflow tank.
 
P

pontiacws699

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

I filled the radiator up and it pretty much stayed full but...............



truck was running and it looks like water and theres really no color to it. Its at the back of the motor on the exhaust near the cutout
 
Don W.

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Re: blown coolant cap?

Unless it just spilled, water on the ground is not good regardless of how well it runs. Ya need to track that down. It may be that the only time it pushes water out the overflow tank is when the engine is under load, IE accelerating. The oil can remain clean. You can buy an inexpensive radiator pressure tester at Post Tool.
 
T

turboj91

New member
Re: blown coolant cap?

Add your self to the list of people rebuilding their engines.

(don't take the next comment to heart or be offended)

Someone should create a poll on how long after purchase did you require an engine rebuild.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top