I recently replaced my radiator cap on my 93 gxe. I figured the one that was on there was probaly on there for a while. So I put it on and drive for a minute and immidiely noticed how much better the engine was running. It seems that the old cap was not really pressurizing the system, cause I could pull it off when the engine was blazing hot, and it would not shoot up or anything like that. I put the new cap on attempted to open it and it started hissing like it was going to shoot off. I did this because It blew the top radiator hose off the radiator, but I tightened it back on with a new clamp, the hose is new. When i installed the top hose, I tightened the part that connects from the radiator too tight and it cracked a peice of that connection pipe at the top of the radiator where the top hose connects to. I was wondering if there may be some sort of an extension to put on this or something, as to why the hose keeps blowing off. I think that I tightend it pretty good though. I am making this point because with the old cap on the radiator, the hose never blew off, it was just when i put the new one on.

Yeah riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiight...................

Did you use OEM or Stant?

i used stant

Is there a difference in OEM and Stant??

Well the radiator cap made by STANT seems to have alot of pressure. I put it on and within minutes it blew my top radiator hose off. I had coolant everywhere in the engine compartment. Im also thinking that this cap may have caused my heater core to rupture.

butt dynos don't lie

which cap did you get?
there are different pressure caps and the wrong pressure could damage an already weak point in the cooling system.
the cap should be marked with what pressure it is running.

IIRC the Maxima should be 13-16 PSI, correct?

I don't recall no more

13psi is stock

well all seems to be well so far so good. The engine gets up to normal operating temperature much quicker than with the old cap on, and the new cap has the same psi as the old one.

There ya go with your negativity again lol


DOUBLE negativity might I add, right Jared?

Actually I was wrong, The old cap was 13psi, and the new stant cap is 9psi that I am currently using. Could the parts store have given me the wrong cap? I dont want to be using the wrong part and then something blows again, but this cap makes the car get to normal operating temp much quicker .

Unless there are huge amounts of air in the cooling system that effectively immediately causes the coolant to reach boiling point, there is no way that a thermostat pressure difference can make the engine reach operating temp sooner than with a higher pressure unit.

If you have a cooling system full of liquid with no air, then the release pressure of the cap should never be reached until the motor effectively overheats................ and since the release pressure is never reached, then a different pressure rating cap cannot possibly cause a motor to reach operating temp sooner.

I dont know whats going on but I compared the two caps, unless the old one is worn out or something. But with the 13psi cap, the car takes a little while of idleing and a short drive to reach operating temp. With this 9psi cap it doesent take as long to reach normal engine temp, which results in heat in the car much quicker. I dont know if there is air trapped in there or not, but after I installed the heater core yesterday, I drove it a little turned on the heat, it came out hot, and then i turned it off, and the temp guage went almost to the top, until I turned the heat on full blast.

Sounds like you have a coolant problem of some sort

The temp gage should never ever go above about midway on the gage - and certainly not to the top after only a few minutes idling or heater operation .................. you need to investigate in detail and not drive the thing, but the radiator cap pressure is not the answer - for sure

I took it out this morning and parked it on a hill and bled it until all the bubbles were out for nearly 30 minutes to elimnate the possibility of any trapped air being in there after I installed the heater core. There were alot of bubbles coming out of the radiator, and I watched it until there were no more, and even the heat got hot. I took it on a short 10mile ride to be positive that the temp guage wouldnt move with the heat off and on at 70-75mph and it stayed right where its always been( a litte below the halfway mark) So I assume I bled it the correct way, because even the heat got hotter!