Re: bleedin' cooling system / internet social theory

[Scott Fisher <sfisher71@domain.elided>]

--- Bill Sinclair <bills@domain.elided> wrote:
> [...] bleeding the air from the cooling system by
> squeezing a radiator hose? 

I usually bleed a cooling system by simply running the
car with the cap off till the thermostat opens. 
You'll know this because the upper hose (in an Alfa,
anyway) gets hot, and you'll see and hear gurgles as
the coolant flows into the radiator -- and as the
coolant drops out of the radiator into the engine. 
Keep adding coolant until the level comes up to the
filler neck and stays there, then cap it.

> Bill Sinclair (trying to tactfully plead his case a
> second time)
> 67 Duetto (1600 with new screw-in thermostat -
> reading about 30 degrees higher now)

It's practically impossible to replace a thermostat
without introducing air into the cooling system. 
(It's even worse on my '83 Audi, because the
thermostat is on the RETURN line from the radiator to
the engine block instead of on the line from the head
to the top of the radiator, so you're pretty much
guaranteed to lose all the coolant above the middle of
the block.)

Your 1600 should have a bleed screw in the thermostat
housing, which is preferable to the radiator-hose
method.  With your motor idling, loosen that screw
slightly; if air, steam and vapor spray out, you had
air in your system.  Top up the radiator and keep
topping it up till water (well, coolant) instead of
air comes out the bleed screw, then tighten the screw
and the radiator cap.

One final thing: it's not impossible for a thermostat
to fail.  Testing it is easy if you've got a candy
thermometer (and they're cheap): place it in a pot of
water on the stove, turn on the heat, and note the
temperature at which it opens.  

And after you buy the candy thermometer, you can make
fudge to give away to your Alfisti friends at the
holidays.

--Scott Fisher
  Tualatin, Oregon
.
Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
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