Good evening all,

Sort of a generic title to the thread, but I did not want to start 3 threads.

ENGINE OIL CAPS: Was is common for the 1993 Dodge Dakota to have 2 oil caps? Is there one that I should use more than the other? Had never noticed it when I got the truck, it was actually when I was having the oil changed prior to a trip that one of the techs asked me about it. Filled it away and did not really think about it until I was working on the thermostat and had a lot of the hoses removed. The one is really old, might be OEM and I am thinking of replacing it next week.

RADIATOR CAP: I know that my dad used to have the kind with the red lever on it and I saw one in the store the other day. Is on type better than the other? How often should you replace the radiator cap?

GAS CAP: Here is CA I know that when they SMOG test a car they also test the gas cap so I guess that it is something that can wear out. How often should the gas cap be replaced? Is a locking on better than a non-locking one of vice versa? I got a locking one after someone emptied my tank on night.

Thank you as always.

 

Engine oil caps: So far as I know, the general rule is just one...... I would make sure the PCV system was intact.... are they stock, or aftermarket valve covers?

 

Yes there are two oil fill caps for the Magnum V6 and V8, one on each valve cover (EDIT: I'm wrong to make this blanket statement. Some-perhaps most-Magnums did not have this setup and instead had a single fill cap on the driver's side cover). Doesn't matter which you use, oil goes to the same place. Replace it if you want but personally I've never had one leak and it never even cross my mind to replace it. The cap closes the top of the valve cover, and the cap is never actually submerged in oil; most of the oil stays where it's supposed to lubricating the valvetrain. Some amount splashes up though, and the cap is only meant to keep it from splashing out.

The red lever caps are to relieve pressure from the cooling system before cap removal. For cooling system performance they work no better or worse than regular caps. If you plan to put an interval on replacement, I'd say that by 15 years old, it's a good idea to do whether the original is working fine or not. But truthfully I'm just pulling that out of my ***. What I mean to say is that I would happily pay the $10 or less for a new cap "just because" certainly if the car is over 15 years old (really even 10 years old). I don't know what other people do but I think that radiator caps should last a long time. The original on my '93 lasted 23 years. Might've kept going but the radiator shat itself so I replaced the cap too.

Personally I would never replace the gas cap until emissions fails because of it. Now the caveat is whether risking an emissions RETEST will cost you lots of EXTRA money. If that is the case then it could be a could idea to just replace the cap before the test. IN my state there is no charge for an emissions retest after you paid the first time so I'd just take the gamble. As far as how long gas caps should last, again it's reasonable to expect a good decade or more in my opinion. Locking-vs-regular? You just answered that question. No other advantages to a locking cap.

 

This question seems familiar. Anyway I recall that discussion came down on the one oil fill cap on the driver side. I have the 3.9 Magnum stock and it has only one oil fill cap, driver side. I think the other thread about this decided the second cap is a previous owner having replaced that valve cover with a driver side cover.

 

My 2 cents, those radiator caps with the red levers are junk. They are prone to leaking, at least thats been my experience with them.

 

I really don't think that's the deal for all of them. Many Magnums had the dual oil caps, but I don't know what years that applies to. I felt like I could answer this question pretty definitively since the OP has a '93 and I have a '93 as well.

edit: I corrected my first post to say that not all Magnums have the dual fill caps, and perhaps those are in the minority.

Another thread on the subject
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...e-to-fill.html

 

It seems that the Dakotas with the V8s had oil fill caps on both valve covers, won't matter which you want to use. my last 2 Dakotas came to me with 2 oil fill caps.