At 12 years old the hoses could be rotten but the radiator cap is supposed to relieve anything over 15 pounds of pressure. Why did you originally remove the cap? Was there some other ongoing problem? Feel the upper hose right after starting the engine. If you feel a lot of pressure before the engine warms up, suspect a leaking head gasket. Your mechanic can do a simple test for that. It involves drawing air from the radiator through a glass cylinder with two chambers partially-filled with a special blue liquid. If combustion gases are present, the liquid will turn bright yellow.
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Wednesday, October 17th, 2012 AT 7:11 AM