Car folks, anyone know what this might be?

[lead_magnet]

I can't believe you guys all missed it, its the dust cover that goes around the intake line that leads from the flux capasitor to the fuel pump. Amatures.

[nisils14]

looks like a water bottle cap.

[UncleDave]

It is an odd color, but it looks like the dust cover for your tie-rod end. That is the part of the steering rack that attaches to the front wheels. They are usually soft rubber or neoprene.

[waxthis]

A gay LifeSaver?

[rockhound]

It is an odd color, but it looks like the dust cover for your tie-rod end. That is the part of the steering rack that attaches to the front wheels. They are usually soft rubber or neoprene.

Oh yeah and always covered in heavy grease, no chance

You guys need your man cards pulled

[Badger]

Today I was backing out of my driveway. When I put the car in reverse, I heard a crunching sound, like I ran over a plastic bottle or something. It made the noise as soon as it went into reverse though (so I didn't actually run over something, I know that much). When I started backing out, this cap/lid fell out from under the car. I didn't notice anything leaking out but I had my sprinklers running and they were covering my driveway so I couldn't be certain.

Here is the cap:





I stopped at a gas station a few blocks from my house and checked for leaks, didn't see anything dripping and my car seemed to drive normally. I popped my hood and didn't see anything missing a lid. So I continued to the grocery store. When I got home, I tried to look under my car but couldn't see anything out of place. I didn't get out a jack and look real well though.

Anybody have any idea what this could be from? Looks as if a tube or something was going through the middle at some point. My google searches for the last half an hour have proved useless so I turn to you as I know there are some car people on here. Little worried to drive to work tomorrow.

Edit: I drive a 99 Acura CL 3.0

Sorry cfortune, there appears to be a lack of useful, assisting knowledge to you in this thread. More clowns than wrenches I'd guess. As someone who works on a variety of different vehicles for a living I can tell you that your image appears to be a coolant recovery tank cap. The center would hold a fitting that would connect to a small hose leading to the radiator.

I've worked on both Acuras and Hondas before though and I don't recall them being green, but I could be wrong. I want to say they're lower in profile and tend to be black or translucent white, but beside the point really, just sayings its possible you picked it up on the highway/road, etc., in travels and it found its way to your driveway.

Check all tanks and resevoirs, if this cap is from your ride its not a huge deal but you'll definitely want to get a replacement, (with fitting and possibly hose if that is gone too), here soon as the temps in the weather start to climb again.

Hope this helps,

Badger

[UncleDave]

Oh yeah and always covered in heavy grease, no chance

You guys need your man cards pulled

Always covered in heavy grease? No not necessarily. After 10 years as a lead tech I can tell you for certain that they are only covered in grease if they were not serviced correctly. Second I did not say definitively that it it that dust cover but it sure does look like it.

[rockhound]

i have been wrenching cars for nearly 30 years, (not professionally), but have never seen one that after 13 years of use wasn't covered in grease, there is no way a 13 year old car has a dust cover that clean,

if not covered in heavy grease then road grime, mag chloride, just dirt in general.

that thing did not come off a car, especially a suspension or steering component

even the coolant recovery theory does not hold much water with me, most if not all do not have the hose run through the cap, the hose would be in most cases attached with a separate nipple that is a molded part of the bottle. and the cap does not thread on, it snaps on

[Badger]

even the coolant recovery theory does not hold much water with me, most if not all do not have the hose run through the cap, the hose would be in most cases attached with a separate nipple that is a molded part of the bottle. and the cap does not thread on, it snaps on

And before I get started here, let me just quote this part here too:

i have been wrenching cars for nearly 30 years, (not professionally)

Since I HAVE wrenched on them professionally, I will say that there are MANY expansion tank caps that ARE THREADED, and DO have hoses running into the caps. Many foreign vehicles do actually and believe it or not, some liquid cooled motorcycles these days ALSO seem to have them as I've recently discovered. And the most ironic thing about this is that you can find such things on vehicles exceeding at least 20 years old.


And as far as the tie-rod end theory.... I would have to say if it were, it didn't come from the OPs vehicle or he would have experienced some driveability issues. Notice the threaded ring is not separated (even after driving over it) to have come off without removal, (or catastrophic failure) of a tie rod end.


Badger

[cfortune]

Sorry cfortune, there appears to be a lack of useful, assisting knowledge to you in this thread. More clowns than wrenches I'd guess. As someone who works on a variety of different vehicles for a living I can tell you that your image appears to be a coolant recovery tank cap. The center would hold a fitting that would connect to a small hose leading to the radiator.

I've worked on both Acuras and Hondas before though and I don't recall them being green, but I could be wrong. I want to say they're lower in profile and tend to be black or translucent white, but beside the point really, just sayings its possible you picked it up on the highway/road, etc., in travels and it found its way to your driveway.

Check all tanks and resevoirs, if this cap is from your ride its not a huge deal but you'll definitely want to get a replacement, (with fitting and possibly hose if that is gone too), here soon as the temps in the weather start to climb again.

Hope this helps,

Badger

Thanks Badger. Continuing to do some research last night, I ended up finding a post on another forum that had someone asking about Honda brand coolant. They mentioned it's generally a light blue or emerald green which made me think it might be related to that.