I drove it today, had heat and everything, when I turned the car off and checked the radiator, it was like a fountain of antifreeze...what could cause this?|||The radiator cap should NEVER be removed while the engine is hot! The cap is designed to hold a certain pressure in the cooling system to keep boiling temp of the antifreeze down. The cap will release pressure when it exceeds about 15 psi so any extra pressure caused by any leaking gasket into the cooling system will be released.
If you are concerned about too much pressure in there have the cap tested it should release any pressure over about 15 psi. NEVER open a radiator cap when the engine is hot!! You could scald yourself or anyone near by.
j|||Blown head gasket. Find a good independent mechanic.|||Fountain of antifreeze, when you opened it?
Well, if so, it%26#039;s normal, hot coolant expands and will spray if radiator cap is removed.
However if it%26#039;s building up too much pressure and you hear bubling, your head gasket might be failed, thus letting the combustion gases to enter the cooling system. Not a good thing.
Good luck.|||NEVER open the radiator cap when the engine is hot.The cooling system is under pressure once the engine reaches operating temperature.Its suppose to build up pressure.|||Leaking head gasket get it done asp.As others have said never remove a radiator cap with the engine hot.|||It%26#039;s a good idea to get the whole system %26quot;flushed%26quot; every now, and then. Sludge builds up|||check your hoses it might have cracked form cold to hot weather and this will lose pressure in the hose and possibly build up pressurre in the radiator very uncommon though. u also might have somthing cloged in the hose itself. if u already did all that work to u might as well change the hoses. other than that i dont know what to tell you.|||cracked block did u over heat or freeze?|||Do a compression test,you may have a slight head gasket leak into the coolant system.Also while running at warmed up running temp , leave rad/cap off and inspect the coolant at the neck for bubbles .this is a sure sign of a internal coolant leak. also check your dip stick , Oil turns a light tan color when contaminated with water or anti freeze.|||I trust you saw the CAUTION DON%26#039;T OPEN HOT label.
It%26#039;s on the cap for a reason
If your still building pressure, time for a head gasket
Worse case, a head|||either you did not get all the air out of the system,,,or possibly have a blown head gasket|||Thats normal.If you remember high school chemistry, when the coolant gets hot, it expands in volume because the molecules are in a excited energy state. Its the same as a pressure cooker, when it gets hot, and you take the lid off, steam spews everywhere. Most coolant systems operate somewhere between 10 and 20 psi.
If you want to check the coolant level, let the car cool off to the air temperature, or at least until you can put your hand on the engine and its only slightly warm.
My truck has an overflow cap that opens when the coolant pressure reaches 16 psi so that the hoses don%26#039;t explode.
