Originally Posted by
cmm47172
OK, now I think I'm getting somewhere.
I took the car out for a nice long drive then parked the car in my garage overnight.
The next morning I noticed a small puddle (about a shot glass full) of coolant on the floor next to the left front tire.
The coolant level in the surge tank was at the half-way mark just below the seam in the tank.
Next, I jacked up the car and put it on stands.
Looking from underneath, I could see drops of coolant on the bottom of the surge tank although I could see no indication that coolant had escaped around the pressure cap.
So I got to thinking that the surge tank may be leaking around the seam rather than from the cap.
Then I got to thinking, what if the cap did release coolant because it reached its pressure point?
If that were the case then I would be back to square one wondering if the fan is operating properly so I bench tested both fan relays and the fuses.
All tested good. I know testing relays thoroughly requires testing under a load however; I’m not quite sure how to do that.
So, unless anyone has any better ideas, I plan to borrow a cooling system pressure tester pump from AutoZone and test the entire cooling system as well as the cap.
I inquired about a replacement cap at AutoZone. They said it was rated for 20 psi. My surge cap has 17 psi stamped on it.
I’m also not sure if my cap is original to the car.
Can anyone tell me the correct PSI for this system; is it 17, 20 or something else?
If my cap is the original, am I taking a chance by using AutoZone's 20 psi replacement cap?