coolant refilling procedure

[rd070707]

Hi guys about to put my radiator back on the car and refill it with water.

Just to confirm, I put a coke bottle in the header tank and keep filling it to the brim with the bleed points open until only water comes out? Then just close them and keep filling until the header is full?

Am I missing anything here?

[mcglynn]

your on the button fella have the car running just

[rd070707]

But I can't run it until it's filled?

[mcglynn]

Nooo have it running with the bleeder on the heater matrix open and fill away, I didnt use the bottle method so its just an extra help really.

Car wont overheat it wont be generating much heat fast enough just idling waterpump needs to be going

[rd070707]

So initially I'm running the car with nothing in it?

[mcglynn]

Indeeed, if it makes u feel a bit better you could put a wee bit in then turn it on.

The water does nothing but cool the engine and on idle it wont really be heating that much so its fine, believe me lol!

[Piggy]

I would bleed it first just as you described, then do it again with car running.

Thats how I have always done it and never had issues or air locks.

Some rads have a bleed point on opposite side to cap too...handy

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then go for a drive, get it up to temp, go home, let it cool for 15min, and check level again.

[rd070707]

Cheers guys

[Eeyore]

Yeh definitely fill it with the bleed valves open as much as possible before starting it. Thats just asking for trouble having it idling with nothing in it.

[Piggy]

Thats just asking for trouble having it idling with nothing in it.

just makes for airlocks is the way I see it

[mcglynn]

Why what trouble are you asking for lol? Id love to know

[Eeyore]

Just do it as it says in the Haynes Manual. There wont be airlocks if you have the bleed valves open. Thats the point of them!

[Piggy]

Why what trouble are you asking for lol? Id love to know

Airlocks for a start, overheating for another, they get pretty warm pretty quick

[mcglynn]

Well mine has been sat on idle for ages at times and never overheated.

When filling with coolant it should take 10 minutes max, the car won't have overheated by then.

Airlocks you say, how are you any more likely to get airlocks in a system with a running waterpump, than in a system without one? Water is more dense than air and therefore with some encouragement the air will rise to ths top, whether the engines running or not, which is when you open the bleed point which is at the highest point in the system.

The running would probably help as hot air rises.

[Eeyore]

Well mine has been sat on idle for ages at times and never overheated.

When filling with coolant it should take 10 minutes max, the car won't have overheated by then.

Airlocks you say, how are you any more likely to get airlocks in a system with a running waterpump, than in a system without one? Water is more dense than air and therefore with some encouragement the air will rise to ths top, whether the engines running or not, which is when you open the bleed point which is at the highest point in the system.

The running would probably help as hot air rises.

You cant say that hot air rises helps. Hot air leaving is not going to draw water in! Also isnt the temperature gauge on the dash the water temp? Itll never display hot if there is no water in the system so it probably is overheating but it cant give you a reading. Anyway... Ive working with marine engines and running them without water is a big no no.

[Piggy]

fast flowing water isnt going to help air move out, it will just help circulate the air

coke bottle is best method for sure....smooth steady flow

at the Pug specialist I was at many a year ago, we adapted a heavy metal bottle with a rad cap as it beat anything else for bleeding the system hands down

[mcglynn]

Yeah and running a car engine without water in road conditions is a nono.

I simply cant agree that letting it idle while filling, especially from cold, would be detrimental.

[rd070707]

Seemed to all go to plan. Bled it without it running then bled it at idle all seems fine nice stream out the bleed points. Just need to go a drive get her up to temp then bleed it again

[Tom]

I've always just bled it at idle with the coke bottle and never had a problem. OP are you the one that was having coolant issues? The one that went to a garage multiple times to get it sorted and it was never right?

[rd070707]

Yeah but I understand now why that was, oil was getting into the water at the oil cooler, but that is changed now so so fingers crossed it won't happen again

[Tom]

Hopefully :p