So I recently replaced my radiator and cap. I was driving home and the engine temp gauge spiked twice only to four bars for a second or so. I get home after a 35 mile commute and open the hood and notice fluid near the front of the radiator. I took the cap off after letting it cool and the button on the radiator cap is missing. Should I drain all the fluid remove the radiator and try to fish the button out or just leave it be??? If the button did make it through the engine i would most likely have a big issue or water pump failure right? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks,
Tom

 

You mean the button on the bottom side of the cap? And the cap was still on? Meaning it most likely did fall in.. or it got lost while you were performing the swap

However, coolant flows in at the top, down through the radiator, and out the bottom.. I doubt the button could fight the coolant flow and travel into the engine through the upper hose, and it shouldn't be able to make it through the core down to the bottom hose where it might reach the water pump, so it's potentially just hanging out in the top of your radiator.

I would try to fish it out.. if you really think it's in there.

 

like vtec said, coolant flows into the water pump from the bottom fo the radiator, there is no way that "button" is getting through the radiator. my money is that it was lost during the swap

 

Thanks for the advice vtec9 and jsenclosures, am currently in process of fishing out the piece. Otherwise I'm guessing removing the radiator is the next step. Which something I do not want to do again. But thanks for the advice and will keep you posted on the outcome

 

So I tried to look and find the button in the top of the radiator and no luck. So my next step is to take the radiator out and shake it and see if its in the radiator. Hopefully will find it. And I do remember that the button was on the cap when I was done installing the new radiator and bleeding the system

 

I found the missing piece to the radiator cap!!! But after removing the radiator and shaking it til it fell out. One other question arises, the engine temp gauge is reading three bars which is normal operating temperature, but the heater inside the car is not heating up. Would this be due to the heater valve located near the battery and exhaust manifold side or is this a thermostat issue??