New Renix Coolant Bottle and Cap problems

[Muad'Dib]

I always mark the outside of the bottle with a magic marker so I know where to fill it to. I am a short sawed off guy anyway and with the Jeep lifted I could never see the "chair" but after examining the old bottles I see what you are calling a "chair" Thanks. Those days are over for me since I converted to the aluminum tank fron Mac's.

That and the cost is about the only reason i havent switched yet to the aluminum one from MAC's radiator. I like to be able to see the level of coolant in there.
As i stated earlier however, if the one from gerroffroad (30 hours and still working great..lol) doesnt hold up to long, then im going to stop bitching and just spend the money and never really have to worry about it again.

 

[Ecomike]

Well I put two 17 mile trips on her yesterday, AC on, in 85 F very humid weather, in stop and go freeway traffic at 5pm on the return trip. I got her up to 200 F peak coolant temp when I shut off the AC and parked it at idle for 10 minutes after the drive, but it was running cooler since I put the clamp on the bottle cap and she stayed at 190 F with the AC on (it trips the E fan). The radiator hose is also considerably firmer, rock hard in fact. No gas leaking noises at the botle cap even after turning off the engine.

I received a new Crown brand bottle today and it looks and feels just like the other bottle I am having troubling with, except the new bottle cap holds on and the 2 used bottle caps do not hold on ( read, I can turn the cap tighter until it pops off the bottle!!!) even on the new bottle. Note, the Crown bottle I just received has poor quality threads on the bottle (something new to me), looked like they used a dull threading tool, and it has noticably rough, not sharp, threads. The new bottle and cap CAN NOT be tightened enough to pop the cap off,:clap: but then again the bottle I bought and installed 8 weeks ago was the same before it got heat cycled.

Ecomike's new theory!

There were rumors of bad caps last year. I am now wondering if the real problem is that the bottle caps are changing the first time they are heat cycled in use, and that they then grow just enough to where they no longer fit properly (read, they pop off if you really tighten them snuggly, and leak if you don't tighten them)?????? Perhaps having the hood weigh down on the bottle cap contributes the cap reshaping too!!!! Up to know I have considered the hood setting on the bottle cap a nice safety feature (LOL), but I do have lower the support bracket on my infinate things to do list.

So far Mud8's answer of using a 2" worm gear hose clamp seems to have solved my bad cap problem.

Muad'Dib, waiting to hear how your Crown bottle holds up this summer.

 

[Muad'Dib]

Well I put two 17 mile trips on her yesterday, AC on, in 85 F very humid weather, in stop and go freeway traffic at 5pm on the return trip. I got her up to 200 F peak coolant temp when I shut off the AC and parked it at idle for 10 minutes after the drive, but it was running cooler since I put the clamp on the bottle cap and she stayed at 190 F with the AC on (it trips the E fan). The radiator hose is also considerably firmer, rock hard in fact. No gas leaking noises at the botle cap even after turning off the engine.

I received a new Crown brand bottle today and it looks and feels just like the other bottle I am having troubling with, except the new bottle cap holds on and the 2 used bottle caps do not hold on ( read, I can turn the cap tighter until it pops off the bottle!!!) even on the new bottle. Note, the Crown bottle I just received has poor quality threads on the bottle (something new to me), looked like they used a dull threading tool, and it has noticably rough, not sharp, threads. The new bottle and cap CAN NOT be tightened enough to pop the cap off,:clap: but then again the bottle I bought and installed 8 weeks ago was the same before it got heat cycled.

Ecomike's new theory!

There were rumors of bad caps last year. I am now wondering if the real problem is that the bottle caps are changing the first time they are heat cycled in use, and that they then grow just enough to where they no longer fit properly (read, they pop off if you really tighten them snuggly, and leak if you don't tighten them)?????? Perhaps having the hood weigh down on the bottle cap contributes the cap reshaping too!!!! Up to know I have considered the hood setting on the bottle cap a nice safety feature (LOL), but I do have lower the support bracket on my infinate things to do list.

So far Mud8's answer of using a 2" worm gear hose clamp seems to have solved my bad cap problem.

Muad'Dib, waiting to hear how your Crown bottle holds up this summer.

So far so good. Today is the first half way hot day of the year (its 90) and its doing great. Ive taken the cap off several times, and it is able to get tight again like it should even after heat cycling.

 

[funvtec]

I cab vouch for GERR's bottle, haven't had it on very long but so far so good. i also replaced my water pump and upper and lower hoses and put a 190 stat in too. everything is working ver well.

 

[Saudade]

It should not have spit any fluid out, based on your description, keep an eye on it.

I may start selling bottle cap CLAMP! LOL.

When do I get my royalty check?

 

[Ecomike]

Mine worked fine for about the first 6 to 8 weeks too. Then I drained the radiator to remove the AC condenser, to fix a hose problem with the AC condenser, so I had to unscrew the bottle cap to vet while draining and to refill and top off the system. That was when the cap problem developed on mine!

 

[Ecomike]

When do I get my royalty check?

I always wondered who invented those nifty hose clamps, LOL. :clap:

 

[scottmcneal]

I use teflon(spell check that one) tape on the treads before i install the cap on my bottle.. This has worked good so far..I get no leaks from the cap

 

[Ecomike]

I rechecked my clamped bottle cap when it was cooled down yesterday and discovered that with out the clamp I could no longer overtighten the cap by hand and force it to pop off, like when it was new. Before installing the clamp the 8 week old cap could be overtightened by hand and it would pop off the bottle completely upon overtighting it. I think the clamp reshaped the cap during several heat cycling periods.

This cap material maybe be a thermoplastic that is deforming slightly when it gets hot under stress from the bottle pressure.

Long story short, the clamp on the bottle cap is working perfectly, and sems to repairing the cap while it is clamped. I am going to keep the clamp on mine permanently.

I think I may have finaly discovered the second problem with these bottles, being heat cycling and stretching of the caps (which seems to be solved by the clamp solution offered by others here). The other problem is the hoods sitting on the bottles and stress cracking the sides over time.

Now I just need to lower the shelf on my 87 and 89 before they eat more bottles.

Scottmcneal,

I don't think teflon tape is any help on these threads, bottles and caps, as the threads are not sealing threads like on pipe. The seal is a gasket in the upper cap, the threads are like head bolts, there just for tension on the gasket.

 

[Saudade]

I rechecked my clamped bottle cap when it was cooled down yesterday and discovered that with out the clamp I could no longer overtighten the cap by hand and force it to pop off, like when it was new. Before installing the clamp the 8 week old cap could be overtightened by hand and it would pop off the bottle completely upon overtighting it. I think the clamp reshaped the cap during several heat cycling periods.

This cap material maybe be a thermoplastic that is deforming slightly when it gets hot under stress from the bottle pressure.

Long story short, the clamp on the bottle cap is working perfectly, and sems to repairing the cap while it is clamped. I am going to keep the clamp on mine permanently.

I think I may have finaly discovered the second problem with these bottles, being heat cycling and stretching of the caps (which seems to be solved by the clamp solution offered by others here). The other problem is the hoods sitting on the bottles and stress cracking the sides over time.

Now I just need to lower the shelf on my 87 and 89 before they eat more bottles.

I simply bent my shelf down a bit and it gave me enough clearance.

I left my clamp on until I replaced the cap. I simply tightened it just enough to allow me to still turn the cap but keep the sides of the cap from expanding.

 

[90Blue_XJ]

I use teflon(spell check that one) tape on the treads before i install the cap on my bottle.. This has worked good so far..I get no leaks from the cap

I think that takes up some of the loose fit and helps keep the cap tight. I would try that before going to a clamp which is another thing to loosen before you can remove the cap. Just an additional step that can be avoided.

 

[Muad'Dib]

I think that takes up some of the loose fit and helps keep the cap tight. I would try that before going to a clamp which is another thing to loosen before you can remove the cap. Just an additional step that can be avoided.

Ive tried teflon tape and it didnt work too well. I tried electrical tape in an emergency, and it worked better.

 

[Ecomike]

I have a whole lot more faith in the external clamp than I could ever have in something that might stretch the cap even more from the inside out and takes up thread overlap space, especially something as slippery as teflon.

Now if you guys are going to use tape, you might as well get serious and use the real stuff, DUCT tape! LOL.:roflmao:

 

[Gray XJ]

Just go to macs radiator.com and get the aluminum one they sell, it will put an end to all your problems.I just got my last week and have driven in stop and go traffic when the temp was 90 and up and no over heating and not one drop of coolant or any hising at all.

 

[Ecomike]

I noticed that the cap on the older bottle on my 89 is only 3/4" tall. All the other caps I have including the newer ones are 1.25" tall!!!!!!!

Definate difference in the cap!

Also I have no more cap leaking problems on my 87 DD, I have stable consistant coolant temperatures ever since I installed the worm gear metal hose clamp on the coolant bottle cap. No leaks, and we have had 2 weeks of mid 90s heat wave temperatures here now. Mine has yet to get over 197 F even with the AC idling in traffic after a long highway run.

 

[Nevada City Sparky]

'm currently running a bottle from Quadratec and a dealer cap. No clamp needed.

That's what I'm running and I had the same experience as Ecomike with the cap popping off. Replace with a Dealer cap and its better, but I still gotta sniff for the familiar coolant leak smell and adjust from time to time.


I'll have to try the clamp technique.

 

[Muad'Dib]

I just wanted to update this thread and say so far (been a little over a month now) the bottle from gerroffroad has held up great. I have had the cap off of it about 5 or 6 times now (replaced water pump this weekend actually), and it still goes on tight (but i do make sure i dont purposely overtighten it... i guess im still a little cautious that im going to go to far ).

If and only if the cap starts acting funny, ill try the hose clamp over the cap thing. If that doesnt work for me, then im definetly going to get the aluminum bottle from MAC's radiator. I just hate the fact you cant see the coolant level.

How is the clamp technique working for you so far Ecomike?

 

[Gerr]

Glad to hear your bottle is working well for you. I've been staying on top of this thread just to see how the differnt fixes are holding up to the summer. If any one has questions feel free to pm me

 

[poorboy_616]

My hose clamp is holding fine as well, of course it's only been a couple days...

Also my op temp is now about 5 degrees cooler.....

 

[funvtec]

i've installed my cap may 5th with no problems thus far. may 11th i did a water pump, t stat, fan clutch, upper and lower hose. The cap has tightened back down without problem and has held perfect level and perfect temperature even at 90 degrees and standstill traffic on the freeway with my electric fan not working.


needless to say so far i'm happy.

thanks GERR