Yea its a Mishimoto radiator...I originally thought head gasket too but i have done multiple leakdown tests on all cylinders and all numbers are good...This time the coolant temps were all good so overheating wasnt the issue..The problem with the cap is that the tabs are so thin and brittle so they bend under the pressure..You guys are correct i should have had two hands on the wheel...Im really lucky it happened in the straight on not on a corner for sure! And towards the end i took my helmet off for a second to clear the coolant off of my face that had come through my open window hahaha but i did put it back on right after

 

That is a little scary.

 

Did you go back to stock rad cap?

 

Yea i still had my stock cap at home so i went back to that one for now until i figure out another alternative...

 

Double yeppers.

 

Im sure you know this, but you are very lucky nothing happened, especially given all the wrong decisions you made after the incident. We all make wrong decisions but its important we learn from them. And if possible, learn them in advance so you can avoid disasters by making the right decisions. So i think you should be really happy that you have this on video because you can now use this as a learning tool for what not to do when something goes wrong on track.

1. Youre driving with 1 hand. Yes, highly respected drivers do it sometimes. But unless you have a really good reason why, you need to keep both hands on the wheel. Keeping your 1 hand on the shift knob that long was unnecessary and can become a bad habit.
2. After your radiator cap incident, you pulled off and parked on the outside of a turn which also happens to be the end of the front straight. And you literally parked it right on the edge. What do you suppose would have happened if someone behind you had a mechanical failure or if they made a mistake at over 100mph? Where you parked it and how close you parked to the track are 2 catastrophic mistakes. You basically positioned yourself perfectly so that if somone had a mechanical failure or made a mistake, they would have plowed right into you. If you need to pull off track, the best choice is typically behind a worker station and away from harms way. For one thing, youll be close to a corner worker, who will be able to communicate with you, the tower, and all safety workers. Beyond that, worker stations usually have some sort of barrier shielding them. So if someone else has an off theyll hit the barrier and not you. But check with the track and your organization in case they have any track specific tips.
3. You were in the process of taking off your helmet when the video ended.

 

Thanks for sharing, glad you're ok.


I thought I noticed my cap weeping a little during my last trackday. Same company.

 

Ok I appreciate all of the constructive criticism but jeez guys I wasnt posting the video up for that reason lol...if u look at all my other videos on youtube I ALWAYS drive with both hands on the wheel, this was a rare occasion when i didnt...I do agree that is a mistake..at the end of the video i did take my helmet off for a second to clear away the coolant that got sprayed into my face through my open window, after i did that I put the helmet right back on...yes, i did pull off in a bad spot but that was actually within talking distance of the closest corner station and a few seconds after this video ended i realized that it was a bad spot and pulled way off the track to the right...I totally agree that there were a couple slight mistakes made here but I'd like to think that the way i reacted when the incident actually happened is what saved the situation from becoming worse than what it was...Didn't panic and i waited to see that it was only coolant before i turned the wipers on

 

Same radiator here as well, will be installing my old Blitz piece tomorrow.

 

Doesn't koyo or someone make a cap?

 

I run a Koyo cap on my Koyo Rad.

 

My friends and i give each other advice all the time when we go racing because sharing experience is a great way to learn. Im giving you what i think is good advice, so dont take it the wrong way. Im sure youre serious about being safe, and if thats the case you should take what i said earlier seriously and learn from it. How many cars passed you while you were parked right by the edge of the track? No need to respond, just something for you to think about. Youre very lucky because your mistakes were not slight, they were very serious. And not only are you lucky, but so are those who didnt crash into you. People dont really understand how serious things can get until it happens to them. Plenty of videos out there, heres one:

 

Thats what I'm wondering as well... Does the OE cap fit, if not what brand does?

Sorry if this was already covered.

 

Well don't get me wrong I totally understand what you're saying here...And I do appreciate the advice, Im usually one of the guys at the track that will ask anyone for advice if they are willing to give it out. Like i said, just after this video ended I pulled off a good 30ft into the gravel and waited for the track officials to come check it out. I did get lucky in this situation and it was a learning event for me. It won't be the last time something breaks or fails like this so next time I will take your advice into accout ...

That being said, the main reason I posted the video up is to show the radiator cap situation and how cheap those caps are...I now have a temp $9.99 "oriellys" cap on and that cap is sealing fine with no signs of bending at all! I'm still looking for a quality replacement cap to pickup..Mishimoto makes a really good radiator but a horrible cap

 

I've only been to a few driving events, but shouldn't they have red flagged that incident? That was quit a lot of oil on track right before a turn and we saw what the outcome was. Obviosuly since the motor let go the car could not be moved from that spot.