jimbo74

well not sure if this is right or not, but i saw some TRD radiator caps on lc engineering's site... anyways.. are these jsut stock replacement? or are they a performance modifcation? from what i have heard, a differnt pressure cap will do something to the point the water boils at.... whow does that effect performance if at all?

kevin444

I bought a trd 1.3 rady cap from the stock 0.9. It seems it just makes the coolant circulates faster due to pressure however i could be wrong.

kyle_22r

i think a performance radiator cap is in the same category as a performance valve cover...

lagwagon7

in other words, the "we make all these cool looking goodies so you consumers can think that they will make a difference for you but really they are just overpriced replacements that might be a little bit shinier" category? i'm familiar with it. how infantile they think we are . . .

jimbo74

well if the theory is there for the more less pressure thing....

ok back to basics... what does the stock radiator cap at whatever pressure it is actually do?

kyle_22r

i think the pressure thing is how long till it blows out. if you go over the cap's max pressure, it vents steam out(which is your antifreeze/water). too little pressure rating on your cap could cause your coolant to steam out, too much and you could overheat

timber725

blah blah blah blah BLAH!

Sounds like it does as much as the carbon fiber dash trimming my friend has in his scion!

superjoe83

the reason for the "high performance" radiator cap is to increase your cooling systems boiling point, but i don't think that your 22r will ever get much over 200 degrees even when beating on it as long as everything in the cooling system is working properly you don't need one, i believe your stock cap is around 13 lbs.

jimbo74

yup the stock one is 13 #...... what if i get one rated for 8.5 # ?

X-AWDriver

So TRD oil caps work better than OEM,right??

jimbo74

well there is an actual reason to the differnt pressure caps... just not sure what it is yet..... otherwise they would all be the same pressure

mikedog

If you get a cap rated at 8.5lbs, then your coolant will reach the boiling point faster. In other words, something you really don't want.

What you want is a cap rated at a slightly higher pressure. Let's say instead of the stock 13lb cap you get a 15lb cap. With the 15lb cap, it'll take longer for the coolant to reach the boiling point or get up to temperature.

I'm not sure if a higher lb cap will benefit a 22R/RE because they don't usually get over 210-220* anyway. However, in a large V8 in a relatively heavy car like a Camaro/Corvette you can see a benefit if you use a lower temp thermostat along with it.

The higher lb radiator cap does tend to stress the cooling system slightly. So, if you've never replaced the water pump, seals, gaskets etc., you may begin to have problems with the higher lb cap.

I usually run a lower than stock temp thermostat with (2) 5/32" bypass holes drilled through it. This plus the FAL electric fan makes my truck run alot cooler than stock. No matter what the outside temps/engine loads are, the truck always runs relatively cool.

jimbo74

im also at a loss of knowledge on running cooler.... is this really a better situation? if the higher rated (15 #) cap is used... this will mean my truck wont reach optimal engine efficiency temp for a logner amount of time... wouldnt this be bad in short distance city driving? or the other way around? i thought about gettign the 180* trd thermostat.. but this question also still puzzled me at that time as well

kyle_22r

i think i have a stock thermostat and stock(rated) cap. i hardly ever run more than 1/4 up the gauge! i think a little hotter isn't going to hurt much, if anything

jimbo74

my truck seems to run at just below the middle of the guage normally... but on longer trips or where i am just really beating on my truck, it has gotten to jsut above the middle mark.....

i think i blew my headgasket last time around because i let it get too hot..... im just trying to be careful now, and want everything to run better, but dont want to compromise anything...

kyle_22r

on my new engine, the only thing compromised is my wallet...$190 shipped for a set of ARP head and main studs...

just waiting for them to get here so i can start putting it back together

jimbo74

i may or may not be getting a performance radiator cap... really, i am just trying to learn more about what exactly it does if anything... like pros/cons... that type of thing... just like i have learned about the tornado (no, i wasnt one of the morons who actually tried it, just read up on it) and the IAT mod (again, garbage) i just like to know about possible improvements or crappy parts...

yotaluver

dude wile your at is get performancs turn signel fluid it's really cheap and it helps a lot

denverbikeguy

I'm wondering about this too. My guess is it just runs more efficiently when it's cooler (not COLD mind you) ... anybody with a good technical explanation?

Where can one get a "slightly cooler" thermo? I'm about to replace the radiator, may as well do this too.

jimbo74

there are several places that sell the trd 180* t stat..... i honestly dont know about the benefit this gives eitehr given the same condition as the radiator cap

and the remark about the blinker fluid... come on, im not that stupid..... hey look if you want to be a jerk then thats cool... i have a lot of mechanical experience under my belt.... maybe you should make sure your kinuetuer valve and muffler bearings are ok...