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Too much pressure?

balrog429

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Bakersfield Ca.
I found a pin hole size leak last night in my lower radiator hose. Washed everything off and made sure that was where the leak was coming from. Replaced the hose and went for a drive to make sure everything was ok. Found no leaks so went to bed. This morning I arrived at work and saw coolant leaking on the floor. Traced it to the bottom of the radiator and the edges of the thermo housing. It almost seems as there is pressure in the system and it's looking from somewhere to escape. My question is could this be the issue? I have a new stock radiator cap water pump and radiator. New thermo and everything was working fine until Sunday.
I have a 91 open system. Any help would be greatly appriciated.
 
A Stock Radiator Cap usually would have released the extra Pressure in an Open System.

Too much pressure will cause hoses and other parts to burst, so a system is needed to relieve pressure if it exceeds a certain point. The job of maintaining the pressure in the cooling system belongs to the radiator cap. The cap is designed to release pressure if it reaches the specified upper limit that the system was designed to handle.

You may have a defective Radiator Cap.
 
It could also be that Air could be trapped and blocking flow.

To prevent air from being trapped in the engine block, the engine should be running when refilling cooling system. After system is full, continue running engine until thermostat is open, then recheck fill level. Do not overfill system.
 
It seems strange to have so many different leaks starting now. The cap can be tested with a pressure tester as well as the rest of the system. Pump it up to about 20PSI and find your leaks. It's sometimes hard to really find the leak with the engine hot and running.
 
Ok, I think the problem was air in the system. I turned it on and waited for the thermo to open. Then filled it up. Ran the heater and topped it off. After it was all done I filled the reservoir about halfway between add and full. everything seems ok now. I'll watch it for the next few days. Thanks everyone for the help.
 
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