air release nob after coolant flush?

[gcorolla99]

This is for 2006 Camry.

Hi,

I'm going to just drain the coolant and plan on refilling it. Is there any air release nob I have to release afterwards?

Thanks.

[gdanaher]

No. But is highly likely that you will have air trapped. Do the drain and fill. Fill to top and fill the overflow with coolant or distilled water. Drive around the block a few times or a mile out and a mile back, watching the temp gauge. Park the car for a few and allow to cool. note that the overflow is being sucked dry. When cool and pressure is zero, remove the cap and again top off the radiator and give the overflow 2/3 fill. Check one more time later, just in case you didn't get all the air out.

[gcorolla99]

I am not sure if I screwed the plug back in from the bottom.... (bad memory here), but there's no leakage.. If the bottom isn't screwed in, it would leak right?? I poured the new coolant in, no leak. I already screwed the bottom plastic plates on, so don't want to crawl under due to paranoia.

Thanks

[gdanaher]

(deep sigh)
It should be screwed in and tight to touch. If it isn't leaking as it sits, it likely is tight and is not going to leak. Check it later when it is hot and under pressure. Assuming the petcock is tight and the top radiator cap is tight, just follow the directions I provided earlier and all is good. Remember that if you have a large bubble in there and you drive very far, your gauge might show you are overheating, and you are, so drive the first time only far enough to get the temp up to normal and then park it for awhile.

[gcorolla99]

I drove around for a mile and I notice the reservoir is still up to the full. However, I hear a lot of gargling whenever I accelerate. I don't see any tube that goes out of the reservoir, I only see a black tube on top that goes into the reservoir. humm..

Thanks.

Originally Posted by gdanaher

(deep sigh)
It should be screwed in and tight to touch. If it isn't leaking as it sits, it likely is tight and is not going to leak. Check it later when it is hot and under pressure. Assuming the petcock is tight and the top radiator cap is tight, just follow the directions I provided earlier and all is good. Remember that if you have a large bubble in there and you drive very far, your gauge might show you are overheating, and you are, so drive the first time only far enough to get the temp up to normal and then park it for awhile.

[gdanaher]

The gurgling is air. Remove the cap this morning before driving and top off. If it takes a lot of coolant, then you are about there. if not, there is still air in there, so drive a little longer. If you need to go some distance and don't want to mess with it, put the jug in the car and watch the gauge. If it begins to go above the normal temp then pull off, wait a few, and top off the coolant.

[gcorolla99]

How long should I wait if the engine is hot before I pop the cap?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by gdanaher

The gurgling is air. Remove the cap this morning before driving and top off. If it takes a lot of coolant, then you are about there. if not, there is still air in there, so drive a little longer. If you need to go some distance and don't want to mess with it, put the jug in the car and watch the gauge. If it begins to go above the normal temp then pull off, wait a few, and top off the coolant.

[gdanaher]

Squeeze the upper radiator hose and if it is still quite hard then it is pressurized, hot and unsafe. Let it sit for several minutes. How long? Who knows. It depends upon the ambient temp to some degree, but allow it to cool. You can then SLOWLY crack open the radiator cap, just a little, until you hear or see something. You don't want the coolant to boil out and you don't want to be burned.

If you filled the radiator initially and the overflow as well and then drove enough to get the thermostat open and the temp gauge approaching the normal area, the system should have sucked most or all of the overflow back into the cooling system when it cooled. Look at the overflow tank and make a call about this. Fill the overflow tank to about 3/4 full.

[somick]

A trick I learned for old cars without bleeder (I hope Toyota is not that different.):

Park on a hill nose up with the radiator cap opened and run the engine. The trapped air should escape and cooland level drop. Top it off and you are done.



Sam