SERRARE FORTE... SVITARE LENTAMETE...IPRA...0.9 These are the words on my original radiator cap for my 1980 308 GTSi. So, what does it mean and why is a 16 lb. cap recommended when the car came with a 13?
Recommended by who? Shouldn't the Recommender be providing the the reasons/justification/engineering logic?
"Serrare forte" is the Italian for "Tighten (with force)" "Svitare lentamente" is the Italian for "Unscrew slowly" IPRA stands for I(ndustria) P(iemontese) R(adiatori) per A(utomobili) HTH Cheers anny
I would have translated "serrare forte" by "tighten strongly", but I am nitpicking here, as I am inclined to... Rgds
Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss....I live in Italy and I think that my Italian is worlds better than my English,which unfortunately is getting rustier with every passing year! That said "Serrare forte" in fact means "Tighten strongly"...."tighten with force" or even "Please see to that that you'll exert enough torque in order to make sure that the cap is tightened properly"! I think that all our friend needs to know is that "serrare" means "tighten" and "svitare" is the Italian for "unscrew" while "svitare lentamente" roughly translated into English means "Try to avoid ending up like an Irish Stew"! Best Manny
A previous owner of my 328 had problems with coolant escaping from the overflow tube on the coolant reservoir , which Ferrari of Denver eventually solved by using a BMW radiator/expansion tank cap. The time frame for this was about 1996. The only numerical information on the cap is a "140". Might this be kilopascals, which converts to about 20 PSI? The owner didn't know why the BMW cap solved the problem, but perhaps it's simply that it was able to maintain a higher pressure. This would be consistent with using a 16-lb cap vs 13-lb cap.
The current thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/308-328/481195-check-your-radiator-caps-now.html is also relevant to this discussion as well.
I have been all over the radiator cap thread...wait...there is no radiator cap...that thread is fraudulent...there is only an expansion tank...but wait...that's incorrect also...my tank doesn't expand...the coolant expands...ok...just kidding to show how stupid it is to try and differentiate what kind of cap it is Now back to the point...no where in that thread does anyone say "why" they use a 16lb. P.S. The cap we are referring to should be called the thing that looks like a common radiator cap but isn't because it sits atop the expansion tank that doesn't expand thingy
Ok...we finally got to it. As I mentioned, there seemed to be no concern of putting a stonger cap on in the other thread. In reality it will put unnecessary stress on all components of your cooling system...case closed...give me a 13 pounder
Ah; I'm sorry I didn't understood more quickly That it was the 0,9 vs 1,1 debate. My metric brain switches easily for weights or lengths or speeds, but for pressures it Is more difficult. You have the answer already: some people choose to put 1,1 caps, some others prefer to stay with the OEM recommandation of 0,9. Sorry for not having connected immediately, I've got fooled by 16 vs 13; must work on the équivalence with metrics again Rgds
I would recomend to stay with the standard 0.9 bar expansion tank cap. Replace the cap at least each ten years. ciao
Ferrari has been telling us since the early 90's to use the 1.1 cap when they started to be used in production. They have proven to be a real benefit to the QVs with the marginal cooling system and it also reduces the chance of cavitation which can do a great deal of damage.