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Car coolant expansion cap help!

Hi Im looking for some advice my current car coolant expansion has cracked. Ive been informed I can only get a replacement at my local ford garage which is fine but I saw i need some sort of silicone to go with it? Do I need to use a specific one from ford? Or can i buy one myself from halfords and take it to a garage to sort it as i have no idea what im meant to do with the silicone? Also any ideas of how much this will cost? Btw I have a ford fiesta 62 reg TIA

Comments

  • ohreally
    ohreally Posts: 7,525 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Don’t be a can’t, be a can.
  • arcon5
    arcon5 Posts: 14,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Never known any to require a silicon. The cap should have a seal built in and the pipes will have jubilee clips to secure them.
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 33,060 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    A bit of silicone grease to lubricate the seal and extend its life?
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • funguy
    funguy Posts: 606 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts
    Is this a Ford ecoboost engine?
  • Its just the cap im after.
  • Sorry have no idea how to use this forum...do you think if I buy just the cap from ford I should be okay? Apparently the reason my last cap snapped was because I bought it from and never put the silicone stuff around it and it expanded and cracked. I find the whole thing confusing and I didnt just want to roll into ford asking them for the cap and this silicone stuff and look like a complete idiot!
  • Funguy no its not a ecoboost engine
  • arcon5
    arcon5 Posts: 14,099 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Yes just a new cap should suffice.
    I've never known anybody to put a silicone around the cap due to risk of contaminating the coolant. But then I've never worked for dealerships, only independants
  • facade
    facade Posts: 8,031 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    What happens to these is the tank distorts somehow (I don't know why), and the cap leaks, blowing coolant out as soon as the engine is hot. One "solution" is to over-tighten the cap which can cause something to crack.

    You might get away with just a new cap, or you may need a new tank and cap, they are not very expensive as Ford sell so many.
    I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....

    (except air quality and Medical Science ;))
  • mrmechanic
    mrmechanic Posts: 118 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    The main problem is the rubber o ring on the cap binds to the neck of the bottle. When you try to unscrew the cap it splits in two leaving the base firmly stuck in the neck of the bottle with the top of the cap in your hand
    The 2 seals need to be lubricated with either a silicon grease or spray.
    If not then the same thing will happen to the new cap.
    If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it.
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