ehall

I'll be surprised if you got all of the air out of the system. These things are a PITA to bleed. Follow the procedure at Clarks-garage. Go drive it in stop and go, and watch the temp. Bring it home. Get it on the ramps and turn the heat to max, carefully bleed from the screw. CAREFULLY!
OR see if you can find/rent a stant pressure testor, or other brand. Even with that, it takes more than once to get all of the air out of the system. It really is a PITA. It isn't like it's some kind of brain surgery, it's just that it often takes much more effort than you would think that it should.

ehall

BTW, I had some dumbassed tech poke a tiny hole in one of those hoses as well. If the car gets too hot, you can blow the heater valve as a result of the air. DON"T ask how I know. It will make me mad all over again! ROFL

danny951

Ah yes, I did forget to turn the heat on full. I remember reading that at clarks in the past. With the weather being so cold lately, in the 40's and 50's, do you think I'd still see overheating if there were air in the system?Driving it tonight, it was stead on the 1/3rd line

ehall

It will show up if you get in a traffic jam. the ambient temp will only have very minimal affect on the engine heat when sitting still. That's where air bubbles become very hot. They get super hot, and **** starts to bubbling. Bad stuff happens.
If your daily commute moves fairly well, you should be okay. Keep an eye on the temp. Remember, once it starts to climb, it's too late. It will coninue to climb. If it gets to the 2/3 line, there is a good chance it will climb into the top line. So keep a good focus on it. you can always pull over before it can do any real damage.

Luis de Prat

Good going, Danny!

Keep an eye out for sudden temperature raises, like ehall says, but I think you may have been lucky with the bleeding because you only drained enough coolant to replace the hose and had the car upon ramps so air pockets did not develop.

danny951

Well, since it was the lower hose, I had to drain it 100%. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the temps though as I have a habit of it anyway.

But thanks Luis for the support

Luis de Prat

You're welcome. Actually, per Clarks' Garage there's a second drain plug on the engine block itself. Did you drain there also?

I think it's when you also drain from the coolant drain plug on the passenger side of the engine block block as well that the air bubbles become more of an issue.

Darwantae951

Hey Danny,

Glad to hear everything worked out well. When I get home and you need a hand wrenching, let me know! I love working on cars and don't charge!

-Darwin

Darwantae951

Unless he is flushing the system due to contamination, he shouldn't have to touch the block drain plug.

-Darwin

Luis de Prat

Right, which is why I think he probably won't have to deal with air pockets.

Darwantae951

I had a little bit of air when I drained everything to do the waterpump (minus the block). After letting the car idle with the screw loose for about 5-10 minutes, the air bubles were gone.

-Darwin

danny951

>>I had a little bit of air when I drained everything to do the waterpump (minus the block). After letting the car idle with the screw loose for about 5-10 minutes, the air bubles were gone.<<

I might try doing that Darwin. I noticed on the way home today the temp getting halfway between the 1/3rd and 2/3rd marks, when at a stop light. Since it was in the 40s or so today, I think that is a little warm.

I've also only seen mention of the engine drain plug when flushing the system for contamination. I didn't mess with that one, just the one at the top above the water pump.

Oh, and thanks again for offering to help when you are in town. I will definately take you up on that I'm sure. Is your # still the same? Another Rennlister who knows some tips here and there would definitely be a great help -- and keep me from jumping over the ledge when things go south!

CarbonRevo

When I did some AOS seal work on my S2, I drained the coolant as much as I could. I then replaced it and started the car. Never bled the system or anything. Car ran for over 50 minutes in the driveway without getting even remotely hot. Also took it for a drive and it stayed cool.

Do I need to bleed the system or what? It seems like something important to do, but is it a necessity?

ehall

You probabaly don't need to use any but the top drain plug. The air will flow to it. Get the car nice and warm and running, then just barely crack the screw. It'll spray and make a bit of a mess, but it will work.

ehall

You'll find out if you get stuck in a long traffic jam. Otherwise, you may or may not see a difference. You DON'T want to find out the hard way. Stuff starts warping, and things like heater valves start blowing.