1988 Accord DX Radiator Cap?

[strayed]

Hey guys, I have a old rad cap with the info on the sticker missing. Pep boys gave me a cap with 16 lbs max pressure. Is this correct? I dont want to blow out any hoses or destroy my rad.

[conozo]

Shop manual says the cap should be 11-14 psi.

[strayed]

Thanks! So I found out that the top of my rad is seeping water out of it. Its a Denso so it prob original. I'll need to get a new rad right? Are they hard to change out?

[Oldblueaccord]

No its pretty easy job. Few hand tools. The shop manual is stickied on this sight some place.

Just to milk it out you can put a low pressure cap on it or leave the original loose so it wont build pressure and it should be fine.

[strayed]

Thanks I'll look around for that manual. I have a auto btw do I need to cap the transmission coolant lines when I remove them off the old rad?

[Oldblueaccord]

Sure they will have some fluid in them. Be a good excuse to add fresh tranny fluid the filter is internal.

[88Sleeper]

The cap should have "0.9" stamped into it, which is in bar's. my replacement cap from Napa is 13psi.

I have no EGR & even in the 100+F summer city driving it doesn't overheat.
... except for that one time that the cap went bad, leaked the water out, seized the water pump, burned through and snapped the pump/alternator belt. got home five miles later with a block full of vigorously boiling water...

A good cap & water pump fixed the problem.

FYI, the lesson learned here is to inspect the cap every year, and just buy a new one for $8 every 10 years or so.