Struggling to bleed cooling system

[fix]

Hi im struggling to bleed my cooling system and am now worried i might have blown my head gasket trying.

The coolant pipe between the thermostat housing and water pump got some holes in it so i replaced it,i emptied and flushed the system then tried to bleed it.

After half an hour of trying no water came through the bleed screw hole on the radiator,though towards the end water was definately going from the thermostat up the pipe towards the radiator.

By this time the bus was starting to get near the top marker on the temperature gauge so i turned it off for a moment,then my neighbour moaned about me revving outside his house so i got p*ssed off put all the caps back on and went for a spin (i should have drove without the caps on i know)

Then a minute later the light on the temp gauge started flashing and i looked at the rear to see coolant p*ssing out,one of the sensors had popped open which i guess was from the pressure ( i dont think i put the clips back on it)

I put the sensor back in and drove home,the next morning i started it up and left it running with the caps/bleed screw off.I came back to the van after 10 minutes to find it had cut out and the temperature was near the top.Also it was leaking somewhere else but it was too dark to have a good look.

Now im really worried ive done damage

[Pepperami]

Reverse it on to some ramps and don't run it so long.

[quagmire]

hi mate,feel for you as we had loads of problems doing ours start the van and put the heaters on,basically fill the expansion tank and have someone rev the engine at about 2krevs while you undo the bleed screw in the radiator.if no water comes out keep squeezing the pipes(engine bay)to push the airlock to the front of van,then get underneath the van and squeeze radiator inlet pipeuntil it gets hot.make sure you squeeze the outlet pipe as well to push the airlock back out the expansion tank.just keep an eye on the expansion tank level,keep the cap off until happy you have got all the air out.when the airlock has gone the heaters should run warm.hope this helps,ben p.s. if you need me to talk you through it just give me a call.07525 007414

[syncrosimon]

I would go through the bleed procedure in the wiki again, in this cold weather it will take an age to get the thermostat to open, and it is only when you have an open thermostat that you will properly get all the air out of the system. You should be getting a firm pressure in the system with the cap on, but nothing too excessive.

When I put the gearbox back in I forgot to put the clip on the main radiator hose.. see below.


The hose stayed on for a 3500 mile trip to Corsica and back, and I only noticed it when I took the deflector plates off for rust proofing.

You will not have done any damage to the engine.

BTW what engine is it.

[fix]

Many thanks for all the replies.

Its the 1.9dg engine and it did take absolutely ages for the thermostat to open! But even when it did not water got to the radiator.

I thought i did everything i coluld to get water to the radiator,bled the thermostat housing and continually squeezed all the pipes by the engine. I reved the van for ages to try push the water through.

I followed info found on the forums and the haynes,but both said to do it slightly differently.

I'll try again on Saturday when its light,its dark by the time i get home.

I dont think a loose pipe/sensor will do damage to the engine im more worried why the sensor just popped out (too much pressure)

And when i ran it the next morning it had warmed right up yet it cut out,to me thats worrying

[syncrosimon]

More info here http://www.benplace.com/bleeding.htm

Simon.

PS. it is mainly for a 2.1 but any general info is always useful and helps understand the system. I have seen a few people on here just not get the system hot enough to fully expel all the air.

[fix]

That link helps alot,quite a thorough guide.

Though im struggling to see exactly where the front and rear heater bleed valves are,the pictures are small.

Can anyone tell me please?

Thanks

[fix]

Can anyone please tell me where the front and rear heaters are located so I can find the bleed valves for them? I want to get it done tomorrow.

Thanks

[jamesc76]

Have you even got a rear heater?????

[g60steve]

http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/forum ... ?TID=29710" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Written by someone who carries out this procedure for a living on a daily/weekly basis.

[AngeloEvs]

Could be wrong so deleted

[fix]

I didnt think i had a rear heater,just from that guide i thought i might do!

Cheers for the link from Baxter I've searched for that and couldnt find it!

Ill have another go tomorrow,not sure how much g12 i lost so better buy some more

[fix]

Well i managed to bleed the system! Apart from going for a good run afterwards as i got stuck in snow on my street

I'll have to give the van a good run when i finally get out,though judging on the amount of snow on my road and the temperatures we've been having i think its gonna be there for awhile.

The one problem i have is that im not totally sure how much antifreeze is in the system,as i had a leak when trying to bleed the van last time i cant be totally sure.

I put another 3 litres of antifreeze in ontop of the 9 litres i originally put in so im hoping im not far off (im not sure how much i lost when the system leaked)

Does anyone know how good the coolant testers are that say how much antifreeze is in a system?

Thanks

[AngeloEvs]

Might not be perfect accuracy but better than guesswork I reckon.