leaking radiator cap

[bhardy]

I bought my 350 some three months ago and drove it back from england to the netherlands without any problems. When i took it out a few weeks ago, the coolant started to come out from the radiator cap. It's a '88 and has tube from the engine towards the radiator. The tube has a cap on top and the coolant comes from under the cap. Now comes the weird part, my brother bought a 350 a month later and got the same problem within a week after i discoverd it. Is it a problem that wedges often have and does anyone know how to solve this, cause it doesn't same to be a standard part which the local halfords has.

Thanks,
Bernard

[bobble350]

Notorious.
If you have a blanking cap with just rubber inside, it will be junk the moment you take it off in my experience. The rubber takes on the shape of the neck and will never seal again. overtightening just bends the cap and the neck and makes matters worse. You should be able to source a QH blanking cap with a large metal disk inside with a thinner rubber seal from a local motor factors, and I found these could be re-used.
Note that these do NOT seal on the inner cup and do NOT have a meaty spring inside.
Initially the Motor factor may look at you gone out but they should have one - remember, NO SPRING.
Make sure that the neck is perfectly flat before fitting, as these are easily bent by previous overtightening.
Since you've only just aquired the car, it may be a good time to flush that rad and fill with new antifreeze / inhibiter. Then you know what's in there.

[shpub]

I junked mine and soldered a piece of copper over the cap hole and then soldered a thread adpter to the copper plate so that I could use a brass threaded blank end. No problems since. Good plumbers have the bits.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk