i have no idea what a radiator cap does....why it has a spring or what it's there for besides keeping fluid in. aslo, what is the advantage of a performance radiator cap?! can someone explain?

i feel like teh n00b asking about a rad cap haha.
thanks
~SGD

 

A radiator cap will use a spring-loaded seat to hold a few pounds of pressure in the cooling system. By pressurizing the system, it raises the boiling point of the cooling system higher than what it would normally be. Anti-freeze/coolant mixed with water adds additional boilover protection over plain water (212° at sea level). A pressure cap is just added insurance against boilover, since air pockets do not conduct heat out of the engine.

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0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

awesome! thanks for the explaination.

and thanks to who ever fixed my title and moved the thread.



~SGD