Radiator Cap Which one?

[leif]

I have a 92 EB Explorer and I currently have a Motorcraft 13 pound cap on the radiator. I checked the parts stores and they all reccomend a 13 pound cap. I then checked motorcraft and they suggest a 16 pound cap. What cap do you all use and what is the benefit of one over the other???

 

[alfcapone]

Welcome!
I cant help you but im sure somebody here can, a bit of topic "Leif" is that your name or something, sounds wery Swedish to me..

 

[Maniak]

You want the 16 psi cap..

If I remember my numbers correctly, each PSI raises the boiling point of pure water 3F.

So with just water and the 13psi cap, water will boil @ 251

With the 16psi cap it will boil @ 260.

Now you add some anti freeze to up the boiling point and you get get it up to 276.

This comes in handy when you turn off the vehicle and get heat soak.

We live in Sourthern AZ, where it can get 105-110F out, and ever since chaning to a 16psi cap I have never had it boil the coolant

BTW: According to Stant, Most OEM radiator can handle 22-24 psi caps, and they do make a 19-21psi cap that fits the explorer (I can't remember the part number), but you have to order it through a race shop.

~Mark

 

[MaverickDaKid]

lol

Lol thinking about radiator caps reminds me of this one time....

My 93 X had a gasket leak so it would always run out of water so I would stop every once in a while and fill it up again but the truck was hot so alot of steam came out so I had these gloves and rag to open and put water in ASAP.

This one time I opened it up too far and didn't let the steam get out first and that cap shot up like crazy it was about 3am in the morning in winter, and in canada so it was pitch dark. I looked around for the damn cap for 30 mins and nothing. So there I am at a gas station with no cap, they didn't even sell replacement ones AGH. So I stuck the rag I had inside the radiator tried to block out the exit as much as possible and tied it around the outer thing and drove home like that. I'm lucky the steam and cap didnt blow my face off. But anyways ya that was funny and has nothing to do with your question but theres a laugh for you.

 

[leif]

Thanks for the info

Thanks for the cap info, I just put a new radiator in today with a 16 pound cap, new hoses, new T-stat and thanks to these awesome forums my Ex boils over no more. The temp guage barely hits the N and I drove it for a couple of hours. It used to hit the red zone within 15 minutes and spew coolant from the overflow.

AlfCapone, yeah its a Swedish name BTW.