I have a radiator cap that is leaking around the center rivet in the top of the cap, and was wondering if it mattered that the arrow on the cap has the TVS side lined up and pointed toward the plastic coolant tank?
(the reason I am asking is that I did not notice the arrows direction before removing the cap to drain and refill the radiator during a thermostat replacement repair)


I am thinking of replacing the cap since I discovered it is leaking and the only pictures I am seeing for replacement caps do not have any arrows and I am concerned that they will not let the radiaitor send excess or draw more coolant to/from the plastic coolant tank like the one I have now does.

Any information or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

My vehicle is a 1995 Cheyenne C2500 PU with a V6, regular cab, 8 foot bed, and a 34 gallon fuel tank. It has 163,000 miles and is otherwise running fine.

 

It won't matter if it has arrows or not they are basically indicating which way to turn for loosen and tighten

Just make surenot to buy a cheap ( off shore ) one.

Tip... use some very fine sandpaper or emery cloth to polish the inside of the filler neck. This will allow the rad cap's stem to move properly.

 

The cap's instructions(which echoes the owner's manual) say that the arrows need to be lined up to point toward the plastic coolant tank's line where it exits the radiator(verbatim: line up arrow and vent tube). What neither is saying is which arrow(the two arrows have different labels-one says TVS, the other says RC36) needs to be pointed toward and lined up with the tank's vent tube.

Thanks for the reply!

 

Thanks for the info, it takes a lot of worry off of my mind! The cap leaked just a tiny bit around the rivet(I had thought it was leaking elsewhere until I caught it doing it as I was looking right at it) and was dry today though. I think I will just keep an eye on it for the time being. I also noticed that the cap says 15psi, and if it does get replaced I will either go with a stant or prestone brand cap.[sm=icon_cheers.gif]