Bleeding the cooling system - IDEA! -

[Chaluska]

Hey guys, i've been battling with trying to bleed the system for so long now, it seems impossible.

I originally had a autozone/aftermarket T-stat, which opened in a boiling pot of water, but wouldn't open in the engine.

i purchased an OEM stat, just for the extra assurance, and im wondering if one were to take a propane torch, and heat up the t-stat cover with the stat in, if it would/could heat up the water enough to manually open the stat, and force water to flow through (to get out air bubbles). ive installed the T-stat with the jiggle valve in the 12' o clock position, and still have had no luck getting the damn thing to open..

the car just gets stupid hot (max H) and the T-stat will not open.

Ive tried
-revving the engine to 2500 RPM
-opening the bleeder valve
-removing rad cap, and getting a 2 L bottle rammed into the hole to make it the highest point in the cooling system.
-a combination of all 3 of the above

I'm positive the t-stat isn't opening, because the lower hose is ice cold, while the upper hose is scalding hot.

anyone thought of this, or have any tips/tricks to open the t-stat manually without permanently ruining it?

[c72c]

I wouldn't suggest taking a torch to it... I don't have a good reason why, it's just not something I'd do.

If you can get your hands on a pressure tester, you can bleed it that way.
This works when it's most of the way bled but there's still a little air in there and you're getting impatient.
Applying pressure to the system will force the thermostat open, in turn, force the fluid through and the air to the 'top'. When you relieve the pressure, poor more coolant it and repeat if necessary.

[RedSiBaron]

have you tried a different t-stat?

If a new working one doesn't work, then there is another issue that needs to be identified...who cares if you get the system bled if it requires a torch. The thermostat will not be opening normally and it will still overheat.

[Chaluska]

have you tried a different t-stat?

If a new working one doesn't work, then there is another issue that needs to be identified...who cares if you get the system bled if it requires a torch. The thermostat will not be opening normally and it will still overheat.

the first 3 thermostats ive tried ALL tested fine in boiling water, the wax bead loosens, and allows the stat to open. with no t-stat installed, the water flows perfectly fine, so i know the water pump is working flawlessly. i think i may need to find someone with a pressure tester.

[SLiDe_WaYz]

Get a swirl pot, makes bleedig the system so much easier, no more lifting to front of the car, pumping hoses with your hand, ext.

[supreme_1]

did you look into your radiator? maybe its clogged

[mad-ass]

front end jacked up as high as possible? heater on? what's your fan setup? if you can turn it off just so it can get hot enough, do it.

because maybe your radiator fans are doing such a great job that your water temp isn't really getting hot at all.

check it with a laser thermometer.

[slidewayzagain]

the blade on the pump could be loose.
remove belts and check for in and out freeplay on water pump. easier to check with pump removed had smae issues this winter drove me batty and I wound up burning the rings ups.
flush kit style grab a brass or metal t and a cap from homer depot or wherever ur choice install into hetear hose section attach garden hose crank car and bleed at will iremove hose and install cap. not pretty but it works

[Chaluska]

this is a retarted thought, and id like to update what i did for future issues people might have.

So i could NOT get the damn system to open up to bleed out the air, what i ended up doing (and ive done it 5 times now, so i know it works perfectly) is to jack the front of the car up to max height, turn on heat to max, take off the radiator cap, and dis-able the electric fans / clutch fan. Start up car, and run for 15-30 minutes in the air, yes, it takes a long ass time, but once its warm, you will be able to look in the radiator, and see coolant flowing, as soon as you see coolant flowing, the system is bled. let it run for another minute to let any extra bubble work there way out, cap the radiator, and check your coolant overflow.

[Frank_Jaeger]

this is a retarted thought, and id like to update what i did for future issues people might have.

So i could NOT get the damn system to open up to bleed out the air, what i ended up doing (and ive done it 5 times now, so i know it works perfectly) is to jack the front of the car up to max height, turn on heat to max, take off the radiator cap, and dis-able the electric fans / clutch fan. Start up car, and run for 15-30 minutes in the air, yes, it takes a long ass time, but once its warm, you will be able to look in the radiator, and see coolant flowing, as soon as you see coolant flowing, the system is bled. let it run for another minute to let any extra bubble work there way out, cap the radiator, and check your coolant overflow.

Disabling the clutch fan wasn't necessary in my case. I usually just jack it up as high as I can, and let it run with the heater maxed, pouring coolant in as the level drops. From what I hear some people have more trouble than others getting the system bled properly, but I've never had any trouble, even when I've completely drained the system.

[Pinggg]

I use this thing called a burp funnel from napa, works great!
http://revlimiter.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DSC_1249.jpg

[cbcm2435]

^^ or if you are really cheap, you can take a 2 liter bottle and cut the end off and duct tape it in the filler neck

[Pinggg]

^^ or if you are really cheap, you can take a 2 liter bottle and cut the end off and duct tape it in the filler neck

The tool is like $25 bucks from napa.
it's better then the bottle because it comes with the plunger thing/handle that fits in the burp funnel perfect.

Basically how you use it.
-Put the burp funnel with the correct adapter onto your radiator.
-Fill it with coolant if you haven't
-Start car (Normal procedure of warming up, blah blah etc)
-Now take the handle and spin it in a circular motion and watch as your radiator take whatever it needs in.
-Now you just wait and watch it burp out bubbles.
-Done!

[merijndj]

I'm positive the t-stat isn't opening, because the lower hose is ice cold, while the upper hose is scalding hot.

If the upper hose is scalding hot, your thermostat is opening. Coolant flows through the upper hose, then radiator and finally through the lower hose back into the engine.

You should check the following 2 things:
1. the waterpump, make sure it isnt worn.
2. blockage in the radiator.

[Fred Allen Burge]

Classic case of air in your system.

I suggest popping off your upper heater core line at the fire wall and pouring water into the core until it runs out, that's where air seems to like to get trapped. A bleeder installed there would be a good idea.