Anyone know the name of a Hi Pressure Radiator Cap that fits a '93 Camaro V6?

I'm looking for one

since my 93 camaro v-6 , 3.4 L, base coupe @ 145k mi.

like many older cars has too much pressure building up in the Rad.

and my coolant disappears under the Rad. cap faster than usual

These high pressure Rad. caps are like 1.6 Bar and they can handle more P.S.I. etc.

You'd think it'd be an easy auto part to find but almost all of them are for imports.


this is what one on-line auto parts seller said: "this is a high pressure racing radiator cap that is designed for racing aluminum radiators. It is not designed or listed as a replacement for any stock vehicle. You will have to determine if it will work in your application.

Thanks,

paul" (end)

*So what's the make and model of a high pressure rad. cap that would fit my '93 Camaro?

Thanks in advance for any constructive help, group-members.

 

Here's some more background info....

(by background I mean what type of radiator I have, etc.)

*By the way, Did you know if you get the wrong P.S.I. Radiator Cap for your radiator, the radiator can EXPLODE???

***The following are my Radiator Specs / Pressure Rating (according to O'Reilly's Autoparts store to avoid the radiator exploding). Brand of Radiator: Murray; Part Number: 432398; pressure rating: a window of 16 p.s.i. to 22 p.s.i.; so a high pressure radiator CAP of 22 p.s.i. would not explode my radiator.
*part 2: this is probably the part: as long as I have an aluminum radiator the custy service chat rep said the following Hi pressure rad. cap would work. It goes up to 22 psi. my Camaro radiator's presure rating is 16 to 22 psi...so there is no risk of the radiator exploding due to this Rad cap, huh? HERE IT IS: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/c...0002/overview/
C&R Racing High-Pressure Radiator Caps 50-00002
Find C&R Racing High-Pressure Radiator Caps 50-00002 and get Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 at Summit Racing! C&R Racing high-pressure radiator caps are made of steel and have a natural finish with a standard round shape. These caps are capable of handling up to 31 psi and are available in large o...
summitracing.com

 

Stop what you are doing, There is no benefit to running a higher pressure cap then GM recommends for it. The radiator would be the last part of a 25 year old car I would worry about blowing out and except a few hoses it would be the cheapest to repair. There are so many other parts in the coolant system that are designed to that pressure.

A car in good working order does not use coolant. If you have to add a quart a year it might not be worth tracking down but it was not like that new. Example. I have 2011 Impala my daughter driver, I am changing the coolant this year, I have never add coolant to it. I should have changed it 3 years ago but I keep thinking its going away.

When you have a car that is already consuming coolant and you add pressure you are begging for something to break.

I can explain why coolant is pressurized and the effects of increasing, but the short of it is the only reason to increase pressure is if you plan on running the car hotter then the factory recommends, again not something that you should do with a 25 year old engine.

 

The intent is not to drive or run a 25 yr old 1993 Camaro like a race car, but instead not have to add coolant under the radiator or monitor it a lot. Here's what an article I found on-line indicates: Well, they're [hi pressure Radiator caps) generally inexpensive, around $20-30. I would never pay more than maybe $40 and really, you can get just about any old 1.3 bar cap that fits for around $10 that will do the job just fine.If an OEM tuning house sells one for your car, you may want to go with that one - the cap is simple but it's extremely important it functions properly. OEM quality is important here.

They are a small amount of insurance against possible overheating, especially for tracked cars or for excessive idling in the hot summer months. Add another $10 for a bottle of water wetter as well (end)

What's important is to nip this problem in the bud before it becomes worse.

A high pressure "racing" radiator cap is a deceptive name.

sure it is often used for racing but it's also a modification to make a 4th gen. camaro not have more coolant problems....and there are a lot of inherent latent 4th Gen. coolant system problems more than any make or model of any other car, I will be bold to state here, much to my own personal displeasure and bad experiences.

I am just having my backyard / free lance mechanic Modifiy this car so that I don't have to baby it as much by checking coolant levels.

 

The reason you have pressure in your coolant system is to stop the coolant from boiling. The more pressure in the system the hotter the engine it can run. In a race application car tend to have extreme heat spikes around the cylinder heads. Higher pressure will keep that area from boiling the cooling under extreme situations.

Also keep in mind race cars have no where near the parts on their coolant system that a street car has. They tend to run very expensive parts and machined parts are very tightly tolerance. 2 years old race engine is considered ancient.

Adding a high pressure cap will raise the pressure in a normal system all the time. I am sure if I took a pressure tester to your car right know and pumped it up to 22 PSI something would blow. That is exactly what you are going to do the first time your car with a high pressure cap for more then 20 minutes.

I am 52 year old former GM master tech I can not think of any good coming from raising the coolant pressure on a street car.

There are no shortcuts if you are burn/leaking coolant you need to track that down and fix the problem. Depending on how bad the leak is you may not be reaching the full 16 PSI as it is.

 

Have you tried replacing your radiator cap with a new one with the same psi rating? Your current one could be defective, and you may be trying to "fix" an issue where there isn't one.

 

Camaro 69 I bought another metal radiator cap that fitted my make model and year 2 months ago when I had the radiator replaced with a Murray brand Rad.

My mechanic friend said he expected you all to say a pressure test would be needed, but no solution would be offered...

He also suggested closing off the little hose leading from the Rad. to the Coolant overflow, which would as a result, always keep coolant in the radiator.

He said, if there is a problem with any head gasket, the Radiator would explode, so this is also a good way to determine if I have a head gasket problem

He asked if my Radiator was covered under a warrranty, I said yes.

To which he replied well, then you can get another radiator if it does blow.

I might just take this problem to my trusty repair shop.

Thank you Gorn and Camaro 69 for your help

 

One more thing, There is a lower p.s.i. radiator cap, not as high as 22 psi , but a 19 psi Mishimoto which Jeg's customer service tech rep said would not blow up my radiator since my Murray rad. has again a window of 16 - 22 psi

 

Your mechanic is a bad joke. He really thinks that your newer radiator is weaker then your heater core or your water pump seal or any of the other gaskets and seals that make up your cooling system.

Any man that can not track down a coolant leak without risking the rest of then engine in under an hour has no right to call himself a mechanic. This is 101 stuff that a mechanic from the 60's could do blindfolded. What you are doing is like finding a electrical problem by jump the fuse and seeing what catch's on fire. You would be better getting a pressure tester and pumping it up to 22 PSI and blow out your junk while that car is not running. At lease that way there no chance you would scatter the motor across the road. Look up the term Hydro lock and see what you are risking.

 

Thank you, Gorn. I only give this backyard / freelance / mobile mechanic simple jobs since the Camaro...is my baby

I think thee most difficult job was giving him the replacement of my radiator and even then I didn't want to give him that job, but he did a good job replacing the radiator. I have him do other easier jobs by the way like replace my brake rotors and brake pads and change my car's motor oil.

I have to absorb all of what you wrote later, but I wanted to quickly thank you after scanning what you wrote

Yes, this definitely seems like a job for an autobody repair shop that I go to often, he will have the pressure tester as well as be certified and have Insurance (warranty) to back up his mistakes--so I can't go wrong taking it there.

This relatively "big" job should not go to an individual free lance mobile mechanic who is about 40 yrs old and does not have as much experience as others.

Hope you're doing well in the Keystone State of P.A., home of the **** Clark rock n roll show

Thank you, again.