PS pump cap failure cause/solution

[GTS Bruce]

The thought of that cap coming of and puking fluid on the headers has had me concerned.I believe that it is not unscrewing itself due to vibration but blowing off due to high internal pressure possibly caused by boiling.Boiling due to aggressive use increasing fluid temp,radiated heat causing high fluid temps or simply inadequate pressure relief. Recently I installed CDI coated headers.Stock heat shields do not fit.Coated should run cool,so I thought it would be OK.After a drive I could not touch the inside surface of the ventilation/blower air box because it was so hot.I have since installed thermotec reflective shielding on the exposed side and bottom of the air box,blower motor,all lines as in coolant brake etc,The facing side of the brake booster etc and the side of the ps pump reservoir facing the headers.The inside of the blower airbox is hot but I can now keep my hand on the inside.So radiant heat has been reduced to critical components. The second thought is inadequate pressure relief.Possibly drill out the relief hole and attach a hose that pukes out underneath the car or to a bottle. My third thought is installing a larger cooler into the PS pump lines.Just thinking out loud. Road racers should be more prone to this.Lets solve this problem for the good of all of us.Post your thoughts and suggestions. Bruce

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

After I hand tighten the PS cap I get out the pipe wrench and turn it another quarter to half turn. I haven't had a problem yet.

I have heard that that cutting a hole in the left side speaker grill allows for a lot more heat to escape but I personally don't have any concrete data to back it up. If true then the passengers side heater intake could also be removed.

 

[Eddie N]

i think dodge should step in and rectify the problem.. this is an epidemic, not a few isolated incidents.. heck, one car burned to the ground during the trip home from the dealer..

if enough information is compiled and taken to dodge, maybe they will do the right thing and issue a recall...

under no circumstances do i think you guys should pay a cent to rectify what is an obvious design flaw.. hopefully it doesnt take a wrongful death lawsuit to wake dodge up..

- eddie -

 

[ACR Jim]

Autoform offers a solution to overflow (whether it is boiling or pressure I won't profess to recall). It fits on top of the stock cap and give the fluid an area to expand into and then drain back when it can. Easy, looks clean and works...you still need to make sure the cap itself is tight. I do mine as tight as I can by hand, I have not had a problem on any of my track days.

 

[JonB]

Stainless headers, even coated, make far more heat than design specs account for. AZ Proving Ground testing loads these cars with temp sensing devices and HUGE man hours are spent ensuring proper insulation in hot places.

When we modify them, or just push to the limits, some things can fail: like a loose-fitting P/S cap can pop off, esp Gen-1. But the cap is vented, and should NOT blow due to pressure alone.
Poor fluid w/ moisture in it YES !

Upgrade and change fluid often if you track the car...and keep a TIGHT lid on it !

And the AutoForm Puke Can works well, assuming the cap is tight

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Roe Racing sells a 4 pass cooler which doubles the size of the stock 2 pass. I've installed one. Plus every time I have the hood open I check the cap tight. Now I usually need wrench to get the cap off. Plus I've added insulation material between the reservoir and the block. Its not unusual to hear someone needing a new cap at a Viper track event do to it coming off. I've even seen one laying on the track at an event once. This is not a new problem that is happening recently. This cap has been loosening up since day one of the Vipers existence. Unfortunately the crowd now participating on this board is well "Wax, Gucci floor mats, blacked out lenses, and all the other trim junk adding weight to the car crowd.

 

[red98GTS]

Bruce....hope you didn't use the ThermoTec reflective heat barrier "tape" with the sticky back! I thought I'd be clever and do basically the same thing with that stuff and spent the morning cutting perfectly sized pieces to insulate the same areas under the hood near the headers. After the first ride in the car, the stuff loosened and started to peel off....yes....peel off....leaving the gooiest, stickiest MESS you can imagine!!! I went nuts trying to get the adhesive off all the things I put it on...lines...power steering pump, etc. and it probably took me several HOURS of work, lacquer thinner, scrapers, a half a bottle of GOO GONE, a putty knife, etc etc before I had removed 99% of it. Never again will I use ThermoTec tape. I know they have the material without the tape, but it seemed as though using a product DESIGNED for heat would be OK with a sticky back. No. Wrong. Hope this message saves somebody the grief I went through. PS> I believe, for street use, just tightening the cap real tight is the answer. Don't know about racing, etc.
And I don't have "Gucci" floor mats or blacked-out lenses either. Ha! pete the ex glass guy and hot rodder

 

[GTS Bruce]

Hey red98GTS.What i used was the sheet material.comes in 12x12 or 12x14 size.Some slight edge lifting.No major problems though.I used up about 5, 12x24 sheets.So I tighten the cap before a drive and pat down some of the lifting edges after a drive.Gives me peace of mind anyway. Bruce