Smoke and Coollant
#1
Smoke and Coollant
Had my first breakdown.. Drove the car about an hour and then parked with the car idling. Started seeing smoke and quickly shut the car off. Opened the door and saw coolant spewing down the pavement. No choice but to have it towed. Figured a hose blew, but the place referenced something else that was leaking and had to be fixed. I had replaced a hose a month or so ago in which he asked if I bled the system thereafter. I did not and only refilled the coolant tank. He said air in the system could have been what caused this issue from me not bleeding the system. If that's the case does replacing any hose require a coolant bleed? That kind of prevents from replacing hoses here and there and makes you have to do them all.
#2
Coolant bleeding
Congrats in getting your car running. As a general rule, coolant hose replacement will require bleeding the cooling system. Many people suggest raising the front of the car to help. I have always had good luck using an extended funnel made for coolant bleeding available at many places online. The idea is the same to make the bleed area the highest point in the coolant state. The easiest and most effective manner is to use a vacuum bleeder to apply a vacuum to the cooling system and then refill the system while under a vacuum to ensure no trapped air in the system. However, they do require a compressed air source to operate. Also, please check here or Clark’s garage website for the bleeding procedure. It is not difficult but should be followed closely to ensure no trapped air. Best of luck and please keep us updated .
Steven
Steven
#3
Nordschleife Master
Absolutely, and not just on the coolant system, same applies to ac, power steering and brakes. As a general rule if you open any sealed pressurized system you’ll need to bleed/purge it.