The disclaimer bit
I or FF dont take any responsibility for damage / injuries etc that occour as part of you following this guide
Your own work - is your own work
I or FF dont take any responsibility for damage / injuries etc that occour as part of you following this guide
Your own work - is your own work
Requirements
To make
1x Fiat Punto Radiator Cap
1x Long Car Tyre valve stem
1x Tube of putty / sealant / gasket goo
1x Drill with 10mm/11mm drill bit
1x Countersunk tip / cone tip
30mins MAX + Cure time
To test
A Car pump, electronic or foot pump but it needs a gauge!
10mins of time
Making the valve
This is pretty simple really
In the centre of the cap is a little dent or nipple, simply drill with your 10 or 11mm drill bit
My valves were a 10mm stem, but i drilled using a cone tip, a dremel may forwell be your friend here....
Once you drill down, you may have the spring wrapped around the drill bit or stuck inside of the radiator cap, simple remove this spring, its no use in there
Next Counter sunk the top a little bit, as it helps with sealing, again i had a cone tip and i went in both sides to make an hourglass style shape
Jam the Car valve into the freshly drilled hole, it should either seal as you push, or be a tight fit, eitherway, i used some gasket goo to help seal the ends up
The cap has to be airtight otherwise it wont work
Leave to cure for required time you goo says too, because mine was a thick layer, i left mine overnight todo it
And in the end you should have something like this
Its not pretty but it works
The Testing
Once the cap has set and cured, you can finally test your cars cooling system
A pressure test is used to check for leaks when the engine is cold so you can route around, sometimes tho you cant do a leaks check when its hot as some leaks may seal up with expansion
Simply remove the current cap and fit the tester cap
Using a Pump (electronic or hand) Slowly inflate the system to 1bar, which is approx 14.5psi
Make sure its locked on tight and that there is a clear display of the current pressure
DO NOT GO OVER 15PSI
For me - i was using my ring automative pump which has a 3 digit display
After 4 short burtst of pressure i had was at the required pressure
Now wait, and watch to see if your pressure is leaking out
If you are hearing a hiss, ensure your cap ISN'T leaking, if it is, stem the leak
If - the pressure remains the same for 10minutes, your system is leak free, pressure is been retained
If the reading drops slowly or quickly then you have a leak
I already knew i had a leak on my bottom radiator hose, however the pressure setup was able to tell me quickly if i stemmed my leak
But if you are loosing pressure - check all joins - and fixtures related to the cooling system
So the radiator, joins, hoses, bleed valves, waterpump - thermostat - temperature sensors, and damp floors in the car
IF you are loosing pressure but not getting any leaks, remove 1 spark plug at a time
Does the pressure drop quickly increase? Oh dear... HG time
NO?
Post on the forum!
ENJOY!
Ziggy
