hi all,

I hope all of you are ok

it's been super humid here in So. cal, talking about 70 percent humid for almost 2 weeks

Radiator Cap was a bit stuck yesterday, it took more force 2 come off even after....I used a warm cloth rag and, of course, pushed down and turn ccw counter clockwise

I was really fearful that there might have been some crusty residue from the coolant that formed a lock

Thankfully that wasn't the case

I forgot how tight....and there's no info. on the web

Here's my Question:

On a '93 camaro v-6, 3.4 lilter base
How tight should the rad cap be, should it be so tight clockwise that there's absolutely no more movement?

The info. on the web states the following (copied & pasted)...
quote:
To put a coolant cap on, push down on the cap, while turning it in a clockwise direction until it stops moving.

end quote

So, considering there was no residue around the lip of the rad cap when I managed to finally take it off,
I turned the rad cap all the way to the right clockwise, and it's pretty very tight but

but I can push it maybe 1 inch or 3/4 of an inch more, should I do that in order to keep it so tight "it stops moving"
or should I not push it that extra so that taking it off would be easier next time?

Thanks so much for your help as always

 

actually I can move the rad. cap, maybe only a 1/4 of an inch (*Not an inch) .to get it not to move at all

It's already very very tight on there and I'd have to bear down on it a bit to get that 1/4 inch turn clockwise, so that it doesn't move anymore at all

Given I had trouble opening it, (but I didn't push down on the cap initially so that may have been the problem)
should i leave it or go ahead and completely tighten it so that it doesn't move?

A super tight rad cap, ALL the way to the right or all the way Clockwise off the top of my head, from my recollection when coolant would escape from my Camaro in about the year 2016.....is what I was told is suggested, but am not too sure now. Maybe I'm once bitten twice shy, but I don't want to have the same problem opening the radiator cap again

thanks, again

 

to close all the way line up the arrow with the overflow tube as shown.

 

You might just need a new cap.

 

Thank you for your replies.

I had bought an after market radiator cap in 2017 or so, it is such an expensivequality radiator cap that's probably why it takes a lot of effort to open

so it doesnt have those markings, Craby

It seals really good allowing no coolant to escape

The lip or under the radiator cap showed no residue

I'm guessing that I didn't push down and turn counter c wise, and that the warm almost hot cloth rag wasn't even needed to remove on my 2nd try after I returned from upstairs

The raditator cap my very busy backyard mechanic called and told me has to be like that super tight, ALL the way to tthe right, so that it cannot move anymmore

 

If you get a chance really look at the cap and the radiator. It is not threaded, its just a step, Once you are on that step there is no reason to turn it any more. The spring does all the work. The cap is actually a pressure regulator. Once the pressure get high enough the cap is suppose to leak. I have seen them looking like a fountain. If the engine is too hot its doing its job. Of course the seal is important but the spring is the important part. I don't know why you had trouble getting the cap off the only reasons I have ever seen is a cap not manufactured to GM spec or if the radiator has pressure in it. If you car sat for 20 years it could corrode. If someone put stop leak in the system it could cause the problem.

Never remove a cap without feeling the hose for pressure. Just squeeze the large hose. It should feel just like it does with the cap off. If for some reason you have a cold engine with pressure you can take it off just plan on getting wet or get some towels.