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Where the heck is the radiator cap


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It's the cap on the plastic bottle back by the firewall, on the passenger side.

 

Common misunderstanding. That bottle is not a typical overflow recovery bottle. On the 87 - 90 XJ and MJ 4.0L engines that bottle is part of the pressurized cooling system. Do not EVER try to loosen that cap when the system is hot.

 

Don't fill the bottle to the top. "Full" is to the halfway mark when cold. The air space allows for coolant expansion.

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Do not EVER try to loosen that cap when the system is hot..

why?

Because it is under pressure and the result will be just like taking the radiator cap off a conventional radiator when it's hot -- the boiling liquid will spew out in all directions and you'll very likely end up with some serious scalding at least on your hands, and possibly on your face and upper body.

 

But don't take my word for it ... go ahead and try it.

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Do not EVER try to loosen that cap when the system is hot..

why?

Because it is under pressure and the result will be just like taking the radiator cap off a conventional radiator when it's hot -- the boiling liquid will spew out in all directions and you'll very likely end up with some serious scalding at least on your hands, and possibly on your face and upper body.

 

But don't take my word for it ... go ahead and try it.

 

 

Doesn't it have a warning label somewhere? Or maybe the only warning label is the one warning that the oil filter threads are metric...

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Do not EVER try to loosen that cap when the system is hot..

why?

Because it is under pressure and the result will be just like taking the radiator cap off a conventional radiator when it's hot -- the boiling liquid will spew out in all directions and you'll very likely end up with some serious scalding at least on your hands, and possibly on your face and upper body.

 

But don't take my word for it ... go ahead and try it.

i knew that. i thought maybe it had something to do with it being closed system and didn't want air into it.
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Do not EVER try to loosen that cap when the system is hot..

why?

Because it is under pressure and the result will be just like taking the radiator cap off a conventional radiator when it's hot -- the boiling liquid will spew out in all directions and you'll very likely end up with some serious scalding at least on your hands, and possibly on your face and upper body.

 

But don't take my word for it ... go ahead and try it.

i knew that. i thought maybe it had something to do with it being closed system and didn't want air into it.

Just the opposite. Since there is nowhere for "excess" coolant to go when it expands due to heat, there HAS to be air in the system to provide for expansion. Air compresses ... liquids do not. If you fill the plastic tank full and bleed all air out of the system, the plastic tank will explode (or rupture).

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Do not EVER try to loosen that cap when the system is hot..

why?

Because it is under pressure and the result will be just like taking the radiator cap off a conventional radiator when it's hot -- the boiling liquid will spew out in all directions and you'll very likely end up with some serious scalding at least on your hands, and possibly on your face and upper body.

 

But don't take my word for it ... go ahead and try it.

i knew that. i thought maybe it had something to do with it being closed system and didn't want air into it.

Just the opposite. Since there is nowhere for "excess" coolant to go when it expands due to heat, there HAS to be air in the system to provide for expansion. Air compresses ... liquids do not. If you fill the plastic tank full and bleed all air out of the system, the plastic tank will explode (or rupture).

 

 

This is true, I found out somehow one time. :rotfl2:

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i've tried opening the cap when my MJ was hot and kinda figured out that it was pressurized because the reservoir tank was bloated and it was hissing when i was unscrewing it. It is possible to remove, however not recommended. there was hardly any fluid in it, that probably made a difference also.

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