Can you remove coolant cap when hot?

Never remove the cap from a radiator or coolant recovery system reservoir when the engine is hot. If your engine overheats on the highway, get to the side of the road, turn off the ignition, and then wait 15 to 20 minutes for things to cool down.

How long do you have to wait to take off coolant cap?

Typically though it should be left to cool for 1-2 hours before it’s cooled sufficiently to open the rad cap safely. If you’re actually trying to check the coolant level then you probably need to wait more like 3-5 hours (as if the coolant is still warm it will show a falsely high reading due to expansion).

When to take radiator cap off Cadillac DTS?

There are a lot of places to look for a radiator leak. Make sure that you don’t take the radiator cap off when the engine is warm. In fact, you really should not need to take it off at all, unless the coolant is leaking from the cap itself.

What causes the radiator cap to come off?

Stuck or Jammed Plunger. As the water or coolant boils it becomes compartmentalized within the radiator. This helps to prevent the radiator from overflowing or having the radiator cap exploding off of the radiator. Once the coolant or water reaches the radiator cap it rises from the radiator which allows the coolant to flow to another chamber.

What to do if your coolant cap is stuck?

Don’t know what cap you have on there but there are some caps (non-original) that have a lever on top. You have to lift the lever before it can turn. Made that way so you have to relieve the pressure before you try to remove the cap. If it is that stuck on there figure on replacing it. No lever on the top.

Why does the radiator cap explode when water boils?

As the water or coolant boils it becomes compartmentalized within the radiator. This helps to prevent the radiator from overflowing or having the radiator cap explode off of the radiator. Once the coolant or water reaches the radiator cap it rises from the radiator, which allows the coolant to flow to another chamber.