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'68 Chevelle Radiator cap burst, engine stalls. Please Help!


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aferrucc
New User

Sep 20, 2015, 11:32 AM

Post #1 of 6 (1377 views)
'68 Chevelle Radiator cap burst, engine stalls. Please Help! Sign In

Hello,
I'm new to the site, I'm supposed to be going on a date tonight and would love to drive my toy but I'm afraid we'll be left stranded.
I have a '68 chevelle with a 307 v8.
While driving in the Arizona heat at a stop sign, my radiator cap purged most of my radiator fluid onto the ground(I have no reservoir) in a few seconds, then the car stalled and would not start for about 15min. This has only happened twice and about a year apart. Any idea what it could be? Maybe the radiator cap?
Thank You for your responses!


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Discretesignals profile image

Sep 20, 2015, 1:25 PM

Post #2 of 6 (1346 views)
Re: '68 Chevelle Radiator cap burst, engine stalls. Please Help! Sign In

Did the engine overheat?





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aferrucc
New User

Sep 20, 2015, 1:49 PM

Post #3 of 6 (1342 views)
Re: '68 Chevelle Radiator cap burst, engine stalls. Please Help! Sign In

First off, I really appreciate the response, any advice is appreciated.

I don't know for sure but I dont think it overheated because both times this has happened, I wasn't speeding around before-hand, I was idling at a stopsign. Even on the hottest days here in AZ she runs just fine with me punching the gas. I've checked the spark plugs and all have normal deposits. I'm going to check the timing tonight but it runs smooth at 700RPM idle. I have an electric fan and shroud and dont have AC.

Thank You!


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Sep 20, 2015, 1:54 PM

Post #4 of 6 (1340 views)
Re: '68 Chevelle Radiator cap burst, engine stalls. Please Help! Sign In

What did the temperature gauge read when the radiator puked?





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aferrucc
New User

Sep 20, 2015, 1:59 PM

Post #5 of 6 (1338 views)
Re: '68 Chevelle Radiator cap burst, engine stalls. Please Help! Sign In

I wish I knew, I was just so concerned with getting her off the road I didnt think to look.

If it were to overheat, would it really dump that much fluid out?? it pretty much emptied the radiator both times

Thanks


Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
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Sep 20, 2015, 2:08 PM

Post #6 of 6 (1335 views)
Re: '68 Chevelle Radiator cap burst, engine stalls. Please Help! Sign In

If the engine overheats and causes the coolant to boil, it will open the pressure release valve in the radiator cap and it will push lots of coolant out. You really need to find out what the coolant temperature is. Lots of things can cause an engine to overheat. Overheating can cause the engine to stall because the fuel vaporizes before it even reaches the combustion chamber or it boils the fuel right out of the carburetor. It can also cause the pistons to swell up so much they seize in their bores.

You can test the radiator cap with a coolant pressure tester that has a radiator cap adapter. The cap should have the pressure stamped on top of it to note the pressure it takes to open the relief valve. The cap has to be able to pressurize the coolant system to lower the boiling point of the coolant.

On the older cars that don't have a reservoir you don't want to fill the radiator to the top cause it will push fluid out when the coolant gets hot. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade it with an over flow tank.





Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.

(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Sep 20, 2015, 2:13 PM)






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