This is silly but I can't get coolant expansion tank cap off??? It unscrews fine
but it does not just lift off after it appears to be all the way unscrewed. I did not
mess with it too long as I did not have time. Am I missing something? Shouldn't it just
unscrew all the way and come off? (I can also screw it all the way back on.)

Thanks for any help on this one!
~Chris~

 

This seems to be a common problem. I had to use a large flat blade screwdriver to get mine off. With the blade of the screwdriver on the tank and the shaft under the edge of the cap, lift up on the screwdriver handle while turning the cap until it pops off. You will have to apply down pressure when you try to reinstall the cap.

 

Yes. That cap can be very hard to get off. Most of the time you will need a screw driver or something to "pry" it off.

 

Hahahaha, dude, I thought I was retarded my first attempt to pull it off... I said the same exact thing!! But yea man, I ended up just man handling the crap out of it to it came off, you know after its fully unthreaded and just spinning there. When I put it back on, I hammer fist it to get it into place so the threads will line up and I screw it down. You would think it would be a little easier, but maybe it was designed with that in mind to help hold the pressure in case its not fully threaded down? Almost like a safety mechanism?

 

Oh, and I wasn't trying to call you stupid or anything, just how I felt when I was trying to do the same haha...

 

Thanks guys, I got it off--via the man handle method. I DID feel stupid--actully just
didn't want to break the tank and have to buy a new if there was some trick to it.
After thinking, this may be a safety feature to prevent a huge amount of hot coolant
from coming out if some one were to open the tank hot???? Some will still come out but not shoot up and hit you in the face????

Anyway, problem solved. Thanks agian!

 

I ended up prying the coolant cap open with the backside of a hammer. Popped right off.

 

 

I want to know who the moron was that designed the coolant cap mechanism..

 

They have got a bit of a reputation for being tricky. Occasionally they have been known to unscrew and pull off and leave the inner part of the cap in the neck.

 

I purchased a replacement OEM cap after fighting with the original. The replacement cap is much easier to get off, and there’s no leaking