Coolant fill procedure

[postalpsycho]

At the risk of sounding like the complete moron that I am, what is the proper procedure for refilling the coolant after, say, changing the water pump, thermostat, or radiator? Are there any air bleed screws in the system that need to be opened while filling? There, I did it, crucify me upon my cross of stupidity (and hopefully enlighten me at the same time).

[DiscoStudd]

There should be an air bleeder on the thermostat housing, although I've never found it necessary to use it.

 

Here's how you bleed the cooling system normally:

1.) With the engine off and cold, fill the radiator and leave the cap off.

2.) Start the engine.

3.) With the engine running, fill the radiator after it takes a few "gulps" of air.

4.) When the coolant level stays at the top of the filler neck without taking any more gulps, shut the car off. You shouldn't let it run for more than a couple of minutes.

5.) Top the radiator off again if necessary, and close the cap.

6.) Fill up your overflow tank to the "HOT" mark to compensate for any more coolant that may be sucked in later...

[jdcutty]

I've always filled the radiator with the car not running, but squeeze the upper radiator hose to release any air bubbles in the radiator. Do this until no more bubles come out, replace cap, refill overflow tank, start the car, let run for a couple minutes (drive around a couple of blocks), shut car off and refill overflow tank.

[DiscoStudd]

I've always filled the radiator with the car not running, but squeeze the upper radiator hose to release any air bubbles in the radiator. Do this until no more bubles come out, replace cap, refill overflow tank, start the car, let run for a couple minutes (drive around a couple of blocks), shut car off and refill overflow tank.

That's something I forgot to mention. I actually squeeze the lower rad hose, though, 'cause it gets more air out than squeezing the upper hose . I've noticed that even if you squeeze one (or both) of the rad hoses, you still need to run the car with the cap off for a minute or so to get the rest of the air out...