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Date:         Thu, 3 Jan 2008 13:35:21 -0800
Reply-To:     Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject:      Re: air bleeding
Comments: To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <4d1b79350801031100h2f371a20n7e0235d0ec46e23d@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

How about for clarity we call the coolant bottle by the license plate the 'overflow bottle' ..........which is what it is, a bottle that holds what is 'overflow' from the Pressure Bottle. And I think you're talking about the pressure cap on the Pressure Bottle......( also Expansion Tank , is a pretty good descriptive term ) .

Regarding the first paragraph ...............the guy sounds like a newbie, so let's not confuse him. You wrote : " The first thing you need to do is replace the one-way valve on top of your overflow tank. That allows low pressure in the system, which lowers the boiling point, and a shut-off engine can cook up enough steam to gurgle the coolant loud enough to hear inside the van, standing in front of it or behind it."'

You make it sound like there's a valve on the top of the Pressure Bottle. There isn't. There's one in the cap. I'm sure you meant that valve. I call that the 'suck back' valve. It goes two things.......maintains up to 14 psi I think to increase the boiling point of the coolant, and sucks back coolant from the overflow bottle by the license plate. Coolant should not be boiling, or gurgling after the engine is shut off. I can't think of any vanagon ever, even in 100 degrees F ambient that did that when things were working correctly.. Boiling or gurgling indicates a problem. Bleeding is the right thing to consider initially, though usually a 'need to bleed' indicates the beginning of a bigger issue.

And those pressure caps are weak too. I always have a spare or two. It's easy from them to not suck coolant back in from the Overflow (license plate ) bottle. Scott www.turbovans.com

-----Original Message----- From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Jim Felder Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 11:00 AM To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Subject: Re: air bleeding

The first thing you need to do is replace the one-way valve on top of your overflow tank. That allows low pressure in the system, which lowers the boiling point, and a shut-off engine can cook up enough steam to gurgle the coolant loud enough to hear inside the van, standing in front of it or behind it. If it's not that, you probably have a leak, maybe a very small one that you just need to watch.

Popping the grill needs only a flat-bladed screwdriver. You'll find five screw-head looking fasteners with the slots horizontal just below the upper chrome from one headlight to the other at the top of the grill. Turn these slots vertical and remove the grill. The bottom has four projections that fit into slots in the body. Notice where they are so you get them all lined up on reassembly.

Fill the overflow tank. Warm the engine up, open all the heaters (front and back, if you have a back). When you think the engine is warmed up, (look at the needle) feel the top of the radiator. Is it cool? If so, there's air in it. Cool or not, put a wedge in the throttle and increase the RPM to about 2000 to get the water pump moving the coolant well.

Then take a 13mm box wrench and remove the radiator bleed screw. If solid coolant comes out, replace immediately and put things back together. If air comes out, wait until solid coolant appears.

Watch your coolant level in the back. If it gets low, refill per bentley.

This should all take about 20 minutes. Check your one-way overflow valve first by blowing through it. It should only blow one way.

Jim

On Jan 3, 2008 12:12 PM, Matthew Snook <matt@snooksband.com> wrote:

> Hello all: > > I hear a gurgling sound when I turn the rig off, and I'd like to make sure > things are up to par before I leave later today. On an '84 1.9, what is > the > best way to bleed air from the cooling system? This will be my first > time. > I've never even had the grill off. How many tools will I need to buy? > > Matt >


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