Car Chat General discussion about Lexus, other auto manufacturers and automotive news.

fill coolen from cap

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 05-27-15, 04:13 PM
  #1  
carguy88
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
 
carguy88's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Washington
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default fill coolen from cap

My car recently overheated, then I found out there's no coolen anymore, not even a bit, so I decided to fill the coolen from the 1.1 pressure cap while the engin cooled down ,but my mechanics told me never fill the coolen from the cap, so is it okay to fill coolen from the cap? Will it cause any problem?
carguy88 is offline  
Old 05-27-15, 04:37 PM
  #2  
mmarshall
Lexus Fanatic
 
mmarshall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Posts: 90,577
Received 83 Likes on 82 Posts
Default

Welcome to CL.

A couple of things. First of all, there is no such thing as "coolen". The correct terms are "coolant" or "anti-freeze". Second, I'm not sure what you mean by filling the coolant from the pressure cap. I have not heard of that practice. Third, as far as the cap itself goes, never, and I repeat....NEVER attempt to unscrew it when the engine is hot or overheated. Allow it to cool at least to the point where it is warm but not hot to the touch....and then, unscrew it very slowly and carefully.

I'd suggest posting this question in our maintenance forum.....perhaps there they can give you some more information.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/maintenance-11/
mmarshall is offline  
Old 05-27-15, 04:54 PM
  #3  
NickTee
Lexus Test Driver
 
NickTee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,085
Likes: 0
Received 10 Likes on 8 Posts
Default

If there's zero "coolen," you likely have larger issues than whether it's safe to fill the radiator or not, your engine block could be damaged.

Also, you are an adult on an adult-oriented forum. I'm quite sure you're capable of writing like a normal human being, rather than writing like you're on Twitter. There is no 140 character limit here. All members of the forum would greatly appreciate it.
NickTee is offline  
Old 05-27-15, 05:11 PM
  #4  
FrankReynoldsCPA
Lexus Test Driver
 
FrankReynoldsCPA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 6,476
Received 62 Likes on 43 Posts
Default

Generally you would fill your coolant from the overflow tank, which should be a semi-transparent jug somewhere in the engine bay. It'll typically have markings on it that say HOT and COLD.

On my old Firebird, I think I just did my filling directly into the radiator though, where the pressure cap was. Granted, I was 16 and that car was something of a POS. It had typical GM overheating issues anyway.
FrankReynoldsCPA is online now  
Old 05-27-15, 05:21 PM
  #5  
mmarshall
Lexus Fanatic
 
mmarshall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Posts: 90,577
Received 83 Likes on 82 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by BrettJacks
Generally you would fill your coolant from the overflow tank, which should be a semi-transparent jug somewhere in the engine bay. It'll typically have markings on it that say HOT and COLD.

On my old Firebird, I think I just did my filling directly into the radiator though, where the pressure cap was. Granted, I was 16 and that car was something of a POS. It had typical GM overheating issues anyway.
...and you also, I'm sure, knew better than to unscrew the cap when the engine was hot. That can lead to some quite severe scalds and burns.

Did you have a 5.7L Formula or Trans-Am Firebird? That's a pretty good-sized engine, of course, and makes a fair amount of heat, even when the cooling system is working properly and not leaking.

Last edited by mmarshall; 05-27-15 at 05:25 PM.
mmarshall is offline  
Old 05-28-15, 08:25 AM
  #6  
T0ked
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (2)
 
T0ked's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: New York
Posts: 2,621
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Default

If you're just topping off your coolant, than filling from the reservoir bottle is fine. If you have nothing left, meaning all of your coolant is gone, even from the radiator, then yes filling it from the pressure cap, usually located right on the radiator is ideal, much easier and much quicker. That being said, if you find you have nothing left in your engine and you haven't purposefully drained it yourself, you likely have much bigger engine problems...
T0ked is offline  
Old 05-28-15, 01:39 PM
  #7  
chikoo
Lexus Champion
 
chikoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: TX
Posts: 3,763
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
Default

and a new word is born. Coolen.

English sure is an evolving language.
chikoo is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
lexus-is2
IS - 2nd Gen (2006-2013)
1
12-29-16 06:36 AM
jpv7774
LS - 3rd Gen (2001-2006)
13
10-21-16 06:32 PM
gsean400
GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005)
3
06-17-15 12:19 PM
schmoozer
ES - 1st to 4th Gen (1990-2006)
5
04-23-11 06:44 PM



Quick Reply: fill coolen from cap



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:42 PM.