Losing coolant

[Don Bradner]

I took my 13 lb cap to an Autozone 30 miles away today (rain, rain, rain,
nothing better to do!) and had it tested. Appeared to work OK; there was a
slight bleed down, but the guy thought it was his tester.

I planned to get a new cap regardless, and ended up getting a 7 lb. Choices were
7, 13, 16, 18, and 20. The new 7 showed about the same slow bleed down, so he
was probably right about his tester.

Went to a nearby NAPA next because I needed more coolant and Autozone didn't
have any heavy-duty stuff. While I was there I asked if they had a 9 lb, and was
told, no, 7 and 13 but no 9.

Tomorrow will be the test.

On 10/24/2008 at 2:57 PM Pete Masterson wrote:

>I suspect that 13-15 psi caps are more common. A 7 psi cap might
>actually prove to be hard to find. (I've never had a vehicle with
>such a low pressure cap, except for a Model A Ford (with original
>engine) I had years ago... that I don't think was pressurized at all.
>
>Pete Masterson
>'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
>aeonix1@...
>On the road at Max Meadows, VA
>
>
>
>On Oct 23, 2008, at 10:05 PM, Don Bradner wrote:
>
>> The parts book that came with this coach calls for a 7 lb. I have
>> no idea when this one was changed to a 13 lb.
>>
>> There is a thread back in March of 2007 starting with post 20947
>> where Curt Sprenger said:
>>
>> "Coolant Pressure Control Cap...the 92 series manual recommends all
>> series 92 on-highway vehicle engines use a minimum 9 psi control cap.
>> My radiator cap is a 7 psi. Is this a Bluebird change? What are others
>> using? Should I be concerned? The engine temperature runs at about 185
>> to 195."
>>
>> That thread ended up being more about alarmstats, misters, etc. but
>> besides you (Leroy) mentioning that you had a 13, Pete posted in
>> that thread that the shop that did his radiator replaced with a 15.
>>
>> I'm going to guess that a higher one gets used precisely because
>> the 7 lb, as it loses strength, tends to let more slop out.
>>
>> If you think about it, a 7 lb with a boiling point somewhere above
>> 230 degrees is into temperatures where the engine would be in real
>> trouble anyway. Increasing the cap pressure to 13 takes boiling to
>> 250, but does that really matter?
>>
>> I'm thinking I will go looking for a new cap tomorrow as an easy
>> "maybe fix", and I will look for one around the same 13 lbs.
>>
>> On 10/23/2008 at 6:17 PM Leroy Eckert wrote:
>>
>>> I have a 13lb cap also and it is old. Same year.
>>> Leroy Eckert
>>> 1990 WB-40 Smoke N Mirrors
>>> Dahlonega, GA
>>> Royale Conversion
>>>
>>> --- On Thu, 10/23/08, Joyce and Richard Hayden
>>> wrote:
>>> From: Joyce and Richard Hayden
>>> Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Losing coolant
>>> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
>>> Date: Thursday, October 23, 2008, 8:32 PM
>>>
>>> Don, I would wonder why someone has put a 13 # cap on your cooling
>>> system. The standard for these engines have been 7#. I haven't
>>> heard
>>> of very many with anything above that.
>>>
>>> Dick Hayden - '87 PT 38 - Lake Stevens, WA - still in Medford, OR
>>> but on
>>> the road again tomorrow after the tranny is fixed.
>>
>>
>>
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