The pressure cap on both HHRs that I have owned simply un screwed. I use a really large slip joint pliers to get a good grip.

 

I've always pushed down while unscrewing them Don, but I have arthritic hands, I'll file away your slip joint pliers trick for future reference it might help immensely.

Depending on how badly my hands are acting up, even getting the gas cap off can be a real "B-Word", Rheumatoid Arthritis....I can't recommend it to anyone.

 

I don't know but mine was tight and had to use pliers to get it off, either i am weak or a gorilla put it on ..Anyway i had to get it off to bleed the system about a good 40 min, know my temps stay any were from 185 to 192 and high as 199... I guess i got all the air out..Thanks to that help.

 

My pliers open to 2 inches, I put them on the cap vertical (not around the cap) so the jaws sit between a pair of ridges on the cap on either side. Like a fork, not a wrench.

Plastic on plastic screw threads don't need King Kong to make them a B to unscrew, then add anti-freeze (which is the opposite of a lubricant on plastic parts) to the mix and you get a really stuck cap.

hurst2001, unless you have a 2006 with the expansion tank you should be checking your overflow bottle hot & cold real often for the rise an fall. Because a head gasket leak can cause huge air pockets in the cooling system and short circuit the expansion/contraction of the coolant.

 

Thanks donbrew all is fine bleed the system no air bubbles at all nice hot heat ,man i can roast peanuts in there LoL.By the way i watch a video to tell if you have head gasket going you will see a lot of bubble coming up in the fluid while running with the cap off and i keep a eye on the surge tank so far level on my 2007 ls

 

A friend of mine who has a shop uses a 'trick of the trade' for that. He puts the emissions test probe in the coolant tank and looks for hydrocarbons in the coolant the presence of which would indicate a head gasket problem.