Hi, I did search about these symptoms but refuse to believe that I blew a coolant seal. I am new to the rotary world and when the add coolant buzzer came on (I turned the car on and the light came on right away). I turned the car off and added coolant (50/50 mix). The thing is, I removed the "Do not open" valve on the thermostat and added it into there. I completely neglected the filler hose and bleeder valve. Now there seems to be air in the cooling system and my car was running a bit hotter then it usually is. The temp was usually at a quarter up, and now its around a half, sometimes three fourths. I wont drive it anymore until I find out how to "burp" the system. It would be helpful if someone could post pictures of the whole procedure or even better, a youtube video. I haven't had to add coolant other then after the initial filling and after it spewed out of the overflow. Please help me get the air out of the cooling system and hopefully fix the problem. Thanks in advance

 

simple... there's a bleeder screw in the top passenger side of the radiator near the upper hose. Loosen it and fill the radiator until fluid seaps out around the screw, then tighten it down and top off. Some people like to run the engine and top off at operating temp while the thermostat is open. That would also be a good oportunity for you to check for bubbles in the coolant.

 

so...

1. Wait for the engine to fully cool
2. Loosen (dont remove) the bleeder screw (1 in the picture) and the radiator cap (2 in the picture)
3. Start the car
4. watch for bubbles at idle (to see if coolant seal is blown)
5. add coolant until drops start coming out of bleeder screw
6. put the cap back on the radiator
7. remove top off cap (3 in picture)
8. tighten bleeder screw
8. Top off system
9.replace top off cap

Is that the procedure?

 

what he said (below)

 

I would probably do it this way:

1. Wait for the engine to fully cool
2. Loosen (dont remove) the bleeder screw (1 in the picture) and the radiator cap (2 in the picture)
3. Start the car
4. watch for bubbles at idle (to see if coolant seal is blown)
5. add coolant until drops start coming out of bleeder screw
6. tighten bleeder screw
7. top off radiator
8. put the cap back on the radiator
9. remove top off cap (3 in picture)
10. Top off system
11.replace top off cap

 

Put the heater on hot as well, to make sure you get any air out of the heater core/system

 

Do you have the little tube in the overflow? Double check the caps too, one of mine ended up being bad, as in "I'm a moron for actually just doing that" bad.

 

hey i think im having the same issue i have an 86 n/a though and dont have the bleeder screw can anyone please help im tired of freaking out about my car .

 

The bleeder screw is actually plastic and has a phillips style screw head on it. It's built into the radiator. If you have an after market one, then I have no idea.

 

dam i think that maybe the case can i just turn on the car rev it a little and pour in coolant as im revving that way i can see if their are any bubbles coming up if their is bubbles coming up what exactly am i gonna see huge bubbles or tiny ones i already lost 1 engine to coolant seals so thats why im freaking out ! anyone please help!

 

I think what you are looking for is a steady stream of champaign like bubbles coming up while idling

 

Dawm!!! I love this site for RX Tech =)

 

OK, I followed the procedure. but since I just filled her up, the radiator was already full. I got in, turned the car on and turned the heat to max. The coolant level actually started rising at idle. (no bubbles! so no rebuild right?) Are you supposed to remove, or just loosen the screw, because nothing came out around the screw, it just started coming out the top of the radiator. So I put the top back on, and cleaned up the spill. I tightened the screw and moved up to the top off. The top off was low, but the level rose to the top and started overflowing too, (no bubbles either). Did I do something wrong? Isnt the level supposed to drop eventually? Is it just because the system was full to begin with? (just filled her up). I havent got a chance to fully drive her, (I was driving around the neighborhood to give her a chance to warm up).

 

I took her on an actual drive (highest shift was around 6k) and when she got back she was "boiling". It didnt boil over yet (to my knowlege) il go check here in a second. Did I not "burp" her properly? What other things could cause this (I didnt see any bubbles coming up so I dont think its a blown coolant seal).

 

No it doesn't.

 

Is the fact that the coolant level rises and never falls (starts overflowing out of the filler tube/cap) a bad thing? How am I supposed to get the air out of the system if it just overflows? Do I have to completely remove the screw or just loosen it (and if I just have to loosen it, how loose do I have to have it? Like I said before its still "boiling over" Did I burp her correctly?

 

If there's no bubbles, then maybe you have blockage somewhere?

I would really expect bubbles based on your description (whether the "champagne like" bubbles of a coolant seal or chunky random bubbles of the system burping.

 

how would I look for blockage?

 

With a... umm... x-ray scope.

Edit: On a less sarcastic note...

1)open the radiator cap >> start the car >> is the coolant moving past the opening, or is it just sort of sitting there working on overlowing?

2)When the system gets hot, do both of your rad hoses get hot, or just one?

3)Under any conditions (cold, warm, hot, warming, cooling, running, just shut off etc etc etc) do any of your hoses appear either crushed or under pressure (slightly ballooned). This would be with the rad caps on.

 

if it starts overflowing, your water pump is either not working or you have a clog somewhere (i'd say most likely water pump)

that's how mine was, and your problem sounds really similar. pull the water pump and examine refer to fsm (links around here if you look, if you odn't have it) to see the disassembly instructions. it's pretty simple once you do it 3...4....5 times (as i did with mine )

 

This won't get the enviromental award for the week but...

Let her warm up with the thermostat cap off and until you see coolant moving out of the pump into the rad. This will confirm coolant is moving around, the thermostat is open and the system is being purged.

Make sure your heater is on hot, and keep an eye on your temp. gauge. When you see no bubbles, turn off, bleed at the bleed plug, fill up to top, and put the cap back on.

 

Could also be a stuck thermostat.

 

When my pump went I lost system pressure.... Have you replaced the T-stat?

 

Are your radiator caps good?Also if the hose going from the cooling system to the overflow bottle has any sort of a hole in it, your car will suck air into the system when it cools down.

 

Here is a video of how the coolant behaves through the filler cap. It still runs hot (1/2 way up the temp guage when im used to a constant 1/4 or lower). I hope this isnt a blown coolant seal...is the coolant supposed to overflow when the car idles? and then get sucked back in when you rev it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcweMAWT1Vc (I just uploaded it so it might take a while to authorize it)