Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:16:32 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: 87 Westy Syncro running hot
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fwiw .......
I'll have to say I don't especially agree with this.
I have changed many entire waterboxer engines, including in syncro's ..
and all I ever did to really bleed it was top up the pressure bottle every
warm-up cool-down cycle for about 6 cycles..
like fill it, run it, keep feeding coolant as long as it will take it.
have both heater vavles open at least some.
get it all running and warmed up and temp needle reading in the middle.
close the pressure bottle cap.
wait two or three hours.
there will be an air space at the top of the pressure bottle.
fill that up.
run the engine until full warm again ...( like on a short drive is fine
too ) .
next time it's stone cold in a hour or so, top of the air space in the
coolant pressure bottle with coolant.
do that a few times, over a day or so ..
there will hardly be any air in the radiator.
if starting with a totally empty radiator , like a new one ..
sure then 'maybe' more formal bleed-screw-out bleeding.
Heck, I even have two Kenedy bleed valves to go on the top of the radiator
in place of the bleed screw, which is a real pain to deal with anyway ..
one of these perfect bleeder valves is still new in the box.
Of a dozen or so vanagons ( most of them for sale ) I have yet to bother to
install one of these valves on a vanagon radiator ....that's how little I
find myself messing with the rad bleed screw.
if it's cold, and there's an air space at the top of the pressure bottle,
top it up.
do that 5 times or so ...it's at least 98 % bled.
I'll bet it's normal that there is a tiny air space at the top of the
radiator anyway .
I also like to just see the van sit and idle and rad fan cycle off and on
....over and over for a while.
when it does that steadily and consitently, and temp needle is right in the
middle..
that's a very good overall cooling system test. Feel that hot air coming off
the radiator ...
you know it's all working like it should then.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gregoire Blachon" <g.blachon@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 5:31 AM
Subject: 87 Westy Syncro running hot
> Hi,
> If you had the coolant changed, make sure the srew on the top of the
> radiator was open. It permit the air to go away during the coolant change.
> If you forgot to do that step, it will eventually heat up like your does.
>
> Greg
