Radiator under constant pressure?
 

On my Olds motor the radiator is always under pressure. Does not or did not over heat when running last weekend. 130-180 tops Even sitting for 2 days later I went out and checked and hoses were rock solid and water blew out when cracking open cap. Do I have air in system? I would have thought in 2 days system would be pressure free

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

maybe retorque heads, gaskets could be leaking pressure into the coolant system

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

Does the car have a coolant recovery tank with the correct style radiator cap?

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

It does have an overflow tank. I will look at pressure written on cap. Maybe it is too high.

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

Check to make sure the hose into the recovery tank isn’t clogged, I’ve also seen the inlet into the tank molded shut or never drilled open.

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

That is most likely your problem That is the exact problem all the new supercharged Copos are having. And a lower pressure cap will make it worse.

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

I had that issue and it was electrolysis. Put an ohm meter in the water and see how many volts you have.

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

This is correct. Make sure your radiator is grounded to the chassis. You could also have a issue with a chemical reaction with any additive you may be running in your coolant. I would do a complete flush and add only water.

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

Im finishing on healing from surgery. When I can I will check electrolysis in radiator. I know radiator is held in place with rubber and plastic. No metal to metal contact. Currently straight water. I will also vacuum down water system to remove any air in system. I have 2 engine shops stating air locked

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

Jeff - I would think that if you had air trapped in the cooling system you would experience a problem with overheating, which doesn't seem to be the case. Is this a "new" issue you're experiencing or has this been going on for a while? The reason I ask is because if the cooling system is working properly, there is no reason why the pressure shouldn't remain (it's a sealed system) and usually when the pressure drops it's because of a leak somewhere. The pressure is regulated by the rating on the cap, so anything above that number goes to the overflow tank. If you have a Stant (or similar) radiator tester they have a way to check the cap as well.


Hope the healing process goes quickly.


Lew

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

If your cooling system is working properly the system will go from positive pressure to negative pressure as the coolant expands and contracts from temperature. Your problem could be as simple as a defective radiator cap or the wrong radiator cap. If you have the factory by pass hose i cannot see how you would get a air lock.

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

Surgery consisted of a tube installed in my stomach to get ready for dialysis. Stomach muscles are still sore so I can't look at car yet. I will check radiator cap pressure and swap out with a lever type. The car is new build and has had pressure since day1. Ruling out the easy stuff first. Cap, electrolysis, hose and over flow tank, vacuum system down, retorque head bolts

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

I had this problem once, mine was a aluminum head on steel block with a single layer head gasket. I chased the problem all season, water was not getting in oil or coming out of exhaust so I just left the pressure lever up on the radiator cap. When the engine was torn down the head had warped some, resurfaced head and used Cometic MLS gasket and never had anymore issues. I do believe the MLS gasket would have fixed it. I dont know if you have aluminum head are not, just passing along what I came across.

Re: Radiator under constant pressure?
 

I don't have aluminum heads, but now that you brought up warpage I did have a hard time finding heads that were not warped so bad and can be used. These head are about..008 warped but the cc's were high enough I was able to cut warpage out and get to correct cc. I had a couple heads that were. 025 warped and could not use. I wonder if these have warped. This will be at bottom of last to check after I finish healing and checking the basics first