Vacuum Caps

[My5ABaby]

I saw some Vinyl caps today at Autozone. Has anyone tried those?

Originally Posted by RETed

I use those nylon colored caps you can get at the hardware store.
They come in like 3/16", 1/8", 1/4", etc. sizes.
They just look pretty on the engine.

Seriously, I shoot some RTV into the fitting before slipping the cap on.
This is what keeps the fitting from leaking.
The cap is there just to remind me nothing is supposed to go on it.
If I ever want to reuse the fitting again, using a proper sized drill bit will clear out the RTV, and viola...

I don't like the rubber vacuum caps cause they look butt ugly. :P


-Ted

As in, Ace Hardware or something?

And aren't you afraid the RTV will get sucked into the engine or something?

[RETed]

Yeah, figure Ace would have them.
I used to see them regularly at Eagles and Lowes.
I think Home Depot also has them in the miscellaneous fasteners section?
I think they are called "screw covers", or something like that...
They are used to cover the exposed threaded ends of screw when they stick out of things.
Hmmm...I've never had them crack or fail, even with the heat...
In fact, they shrink a little due to the heat for an almost custom fit.

I let the RTV dry overnight before having it handle a running engine, so there's no problem of it getting sucked into the engine.
Most fittings are close to an inch long, so it's going to take more than normal engine vacuum to get dried RTV out of them!


-Ted