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I was wondering if the people who have had the reservoir cap pop off all have CVT equipped Kizashi's? (With the CVT being prone to over heat- and having a cooler that uses the engine coolant- perhaps it's pushing the coolant temps higher?)
The overflow reservoir vent hole is a massive 3mm diameter - so no surprises the cap could blow off when the level rises quickly (particularly if coolant is being vented.)
The vent hole itself can't really be enlarged - as it comes out with a right angle kink. However, it would be feasible to drill an extra vent hole in the "loop" on top of the reservoir (just below the factory vent hole.) That would help relieve the pressure build up without affecting the reservoir max level.
(That's a M6 6mm diameter bolt sitting next to it. Note you can see where the coolant has vented at some stage; the vent also has some crusty build up inside it - at 10000km. That won't help the situation and might eventually cause further restriction.)
The reservoir cap also has a small lip on it (to facilitate removal) and that lends itself to a small hole being drilled through to fit a wire to it. The other end of the wire can be fitted with a 6mm eye crimp and held by the reservoir mounting bolt. So, no lost cap, even if it does somehow pop off.
Well, in my case (a 6 spd manual) my coolant cap disappeared. I like the idea about the wire holding it to the car. Now, I never got a replacement cap for mine as one of my pill bottle caps seems to work perfectly. I now save the caps as I finish the bottle, although I haven't lost the first replacement as yet.
Ronzuki wrote:Just make sure the lanyard is short enough so that the cap can't interfere with the radiator's fan(s) if it pops off while you're driving.
Yes, that's a risk - and one of the first things that crossed my mind when I contemplated doing it. The wire is stiff enough to support the cap and it naturally "hangs" away from the fans/ radiator towards the engine. The air flow (both natural and with the fans operating) should also push the cap away from the blades.
ragmopp01 wrote:Well, in my case (a 6 spd manual) my coolant cap disappeared. I like the idea about the wire holding it to the car. Now, I never got a replacement cap for mine as one of my pill bottle caps seems to work perfectly. I now save the caps as I finish the bottle, although I haven't lost the first replacement as yet.
There goes that theory , but the CVT versions would probably be more prone to it happening.
The factory cap has a rubber seal that's designed to not leak. I'm guessing the pill bottle caps wouldn't give a perfect seal- so they'd be less likely to get blown off? There's not much difference in the level between the cap and vent so it shouldn't cause you any problems if you lose coolant out the cap.
So a couple of weeks ago, we did a leak-down test:
Engine was cold.
For each cylinder in turn, we raised to Top Dead Center using the access hole through the right front wheel well to the crankshaft nut, and connected our homebuilt leak-down tester to the spark plug hole
The homebuilt tool was rigged out of a standard cylinder compression tester gauge (with the Schrader valve removed) hooked up to an air tank via various fittings, including a way to regulate the pressure manually (a stopcock to open or close off the connection to the air tank).
With the radiator cap off, applied pressure (we used varying psi, starting at 40~50 psi, and as we got braver, went up to 70 or so), and watched for 3 minutes or so for bubbles.
No bubbles observed. Did hear air whistling out of somewhere else at one point. And, I once felt the breaker bar I was using to hold the crank in position kick a bit, so I believe we applied enough pressure.
So, not convinced yet that a problem in the head (gasket or crack) is causing the problem, BUT:
Some pressure from some where is still pushing coolant out the reservoir cap.
The reason I know this is:
I continued to see small drops of coolant around the front of the engine bay, and could not find another source for this (for example, pressurized the radiator to 17 psi -- no leaks observed), so wrapped the reservoir cap in paper towel held by duct tape: sure enough, once the engine got up to temperature (i.e. the thermostat opened up), that paper towel starts getting soaked with coolant, and there are no other coolant drops elsewhere in the engine bay.
And to clarify: this starts happening after about 5~10 minutes of running 30~40 mph max, in cool New England October weather conditions at about sea level. I.e. the engine is not working especially hard.
This all points back to engine pressure, probably from compression stroke, getting into the coolant system.
Next step is to double check for a combustion-to-coolant leak using the first technique described in this video (the chemical test):
"12 Ways of How To Test A Blown Head Gasket Compared"
I have the tool on order, and plan to do it no later than this weekend. I also plan to:
a) revisit the leak-down test
b) do a standard compression test per the manual:
Standard: 1,400 kPa (14.3 kgf/cm², 203 psi)
Limit: 1,100 kPa (11.2 kgf/cm², 160 psi)
Max. difference between any two cylinders: 100 kPa (1.0 kgf/cm², 14.5 psi)
c) drain a little oil from the pan and look for coolant pooled there (it should be there in the bottom sump area, if so), sludging, etc. (oil was changed by the dealer on schedule a little over a week ago, so is relatively fresh)
d) double check the dipstick and oil fill (already did this previously, did not notice a problem)
In the meantime the reservoir cap is wired loosely to where the overflow hose joins the radiator cap (making sure it will not hang down in the fan if it blows off again), and I am on top of cleaning the engine bay and making sure the coolant does not get low.
Perhaps try running your coolant level more towards the minimum level in the reservoir (checked when the engine is stone cold.)
I've got obvious signs of the coolant venting on my bottle (see the previous pics) but my engine has never gone above the normal temperature range. It suggests to me that there hasn't been enough overflow capacity built into the reservoir. The reservoir cap has a rubber seal, so I'm guessing Suzuki designed it to not leak. If your cap isn't sealing, coolant sloshing around (with the car moving) could be leaking out onto your paper towel. The same thing could happen if the vent hole in the reservoir is restricted or blocked- coolant would be sloshing onto the underside of the cap and as the air vents past the cap's rubber seal it would also force some coolant out.
Have you replaced your radiator cap that was failing to hold pressure - is that now holding when you squeeze the hoses?
FYI, I am kind of following your example on the reservoir cap, although not hooking it to the bolt where you show it (even though it seems the obvious best choice) until I get some stiff wire and a wire lug, as you have.
I tried getting the coolant in the reservoir to slosh exactly as you suggest, first thing in after starting in the morning, by driving a mile or two, making sharp left swerves and turns as possible. (Temp needle was on the Cold end of the gauge the whole time)
Pulled over and checked, no coolant soaked into the paper towel.
Got back in, drove another 5+ minutes into town, watching as the temp needle climbed to the normal mid-range of the temp gauge, and stopped at a convenience store to check -- now the paper towel was starting to get soaked with coolant. (I drove normally, no reason the reservoir coolant should be sloshing around)
I am going to siphon coolant out, down to just above minimum mark, as you suggest.
The new radiator cap seems to be working properly, although I should double check when I run the rest of the tests I am planning for this weekend.
All cylinders within 170 ~ 180 psi, no obvious problem
3. New radiator cap working
4. Finally, I drained the reservoir coolant level to just over the "Low" line.
I have been driving for a few days since then with paper towel taped around the rim of the reservoir cap to catch coolant spitting out, and I am not seeing coolant soaked into the towel.
So, quite relieved I do not seem to have a serious engine problem. Will continue to monitor and update if I learn anything, to help anyone with a similar problem.
3mm diameter 
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, but the CVT versions would probably be more prone to it happening.