pistolpetez34 Posted November 15, 2010 Report Share Posted November 15, 2010 Hello everybody, I recently became the owner of a 1992 Lumina z34 (Auto, 106K m), which is great since I have always wanted one. This website has been an excellent source of knowledge since. She was in somewhat rough shape picking her up, and so far have I replaced a leaky oil sending unit, some rusted transmission cooler lines, some reallly corroded brake lines in the rear, new t-belt with components, as well as any new gaskets I could replace while getting the t-belt done. Oh yeah, a small plastic port on the vacuum source manifold, connected to the MAP sensor was also broken. Couldnt find a replacement anywhere, so plastic welded it back together, and its holding great. It had been previously broken and glued back together : / My problem now is what seems to air locked in the cooling system since like an idiot i did not pop open the bleeders when I was refilling the rad. from the t-belt job.. I have read the relevant other posts here, and I have just a few quick questions: Is it possible for me to get all that nasty, annoying air out without completely reflushing my system? ie: add to level, bleed, run, add, bleed....I was doing this for about two hours on Saturday, only to have air still in the system. I was not driving when I was doing this, but rather opening the throttle from under the hood to get the coolant hot and circulating. Did I do this incorrectly? I am tempted to take it to a shop at this point, but I would rather avoid that if possible. On the otherside, coolant is not cheap - I am rocking 8 empty jugs in my trunk, since the hot air keeps pushing the coolant out in operating temp.. I need to get this resolved as my heat does not work either until I get this fixed, and I have already seen the temp gauge damn close to red on the gauge. Thank you for reading my post, and thank you in advance for any suggestions or advice. Sorry also if I could have found a more specific area on the site to post this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra32 Posted November 15, 2010 Report Share Posted November 15, 2010 What I typically to do is run it for whatever reason, go run some errands or something, so the car gets hot, when i come home, i leave it running and i crack both bleeders individually till a steady stream of water comes out. I have a 7mm wrench stashed away on my car at all times because I had alot of different cooling leaks and I always seemed to be opening up the system. I have a fair bit of confidence that this method works, but I'm not 100% on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistolpetez34 Posted November 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2010 So it seems possible to just keep bleeding air out just through the bleeders during the course of day to day driving. Has it ever taken you say, a few tries, or days of doing this to completely get the air out? Thanks too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra32 Posted November 15, 2010 Report Share Posted November 15, 2010 I dunno, I get compulsive and skeptical about things, so I typically make sure the repairs I do are really done, so yes, I will do this a number of times. Since I had so many leaks in the past, I'll do a quick bleed now and then to make sure I'm doing well Make sure you close the bleeders when you are done. You may know this but... The whole idea is to build up pressure in the system and the bleeders are located at high points, where air will collect. Cracking the bleeders will release pressure, but the first things to get through the valve is all the air. Once you close, you can build up pressure again. Another thing to consider: You need a decent level of water in your overflow tank. Your overflow tank has its own overflow, so I wouldnt worry about overfilling it. I basically make sure the level of the tank once hot and I've bled the air out is filled. This way, when the cooling system cools down after you turn your car off, the coolant will reduce in volume and start drawing coolant from the coolant reservior. If you dont have sufficient coolant in the reservoir, then your coolant system will draw in air and you'll have to bleed it again. This is the same reason you need a good seal on your radiator cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistolpetez34 Posted November 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2010 Thank you for your help mra32; headed out now to get it done, and it makes alot more sense after reading that. I am thinking that even if there is air already trapped in there somewhere, it should eventually come out as long as no more air is able to get in (I am thinking the air kept pushing coolant out the overflow, thats why it has been empty, leading to more air. I'll post back if it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisflstf Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Make sure you have the heater WIDE OPEN to purge the air out. What worked for me was to have the car up to temp, heater wide open and hold the throttle open to about 2000 rpm for 5-10 seconds, then let it snap shut. Right after that, it would belch bubbles in the reservoir. Check the reservoir line to the radiator to make sure its tight also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra32 Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 I'm not sure I understand the heater being wide open part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisflstf Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Heater wide open = put the knob selector on high heat, like its really cold. You want coolant to flow thru the heater core Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra32 Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 The coolant is always going through the heater core. The knobs/sliders/buttons in the car have nothing to do with the coolant system, only the hvac system. Putting the knob on high heat, opens the blend door to only see air that has passed through the heater core. This is useful information when you are trying to keep your car from overheating for whatever reason, as it acts as a heat exchanger secondary to your car's radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistolpetez34 Posted November 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Hello again. Hopefully its fixed now, engines just cooling off now after alot of driving and bleeding. I did my best to keep liquid in the overflow, but its hard to see if any coolant is in there when it gets down pretty low (after driving five min, I checked and it appeared almost empty so I just kept on adding). I also left coolant well over the hot mark once I parked so the tank does not run empty once the system cools and starts drawing coolant in. Also have read in a number of places about the heater being open, so I made sure to do that too. Guess Ill find out tomorrow, ill be praying....rochester weather sucks, and its really not easy doing anything on a car in 45mph wind gusts and rain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistolpetez34 Posted November 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 one thing though still that is at the back of my mind this whole time. Is it possible to already have enough air in the system that would cause coolant to just keep spilling out? In that case I would have to stop wasting money on coolant and rethink my approach.....: / much obliged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra32 Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 I bang on the reservoir hard to see where the water lever splashes up from to see the level. Watch your water level. If you are using water when the car is on, make sure there isnt a leak. If you are still using water, you may have coolant getting into the engine somehow, which is something that I cant say that I have any experience with. At any rate, keep an eye on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistolpetez34 Posted November 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 will do. thanks. and i cant wait to beat on that res. tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisflstf Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 Dont know about your car, but alot of GM cars have heater control valves that open when you turn the heat on allowing coolant to flow thru the heater core. In any event, when dealing with trying to get air out of the system - put the heater on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mra32 Posted November 17, 2010 Report Share Posted November 17, 2010 did not know that...I knew that my heater core was losing water no matter what setting I had it on when it was leaking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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