Air in the cooling system: Problem or not?

[Crunch]

A friend with an '03 noticed that his engine temperature wasn't getting as high as he remembered. He took it to the dealer, who told him that his engine temp was probably OK, but that his coolant reservoir was on the low side. He also added that air in the cooling system was a big problem, and difficult to bleed out, and the radiator cap should never be removed. I've always been under the impression that air worked it's way through the system and self bled back to the bottle. So I ask the experts, what's the truth here? BTW, he was also quoted a price of close to $500 for parts and labor if he needed a simple thermostat replacement/flush/fill repair. How's that for something that used to be a cheap job? I think the thermostat alone was close to $150. He has a spare because he bought a "Boonie Box" from Genos, and it looks like the same thermostat I've seen all my life.

 

[jelag]

I've had several of these trucks... we've done nothing more than add coolant or water to the overflow tank and watch it... . we've never replaced a thermostat, or for that matter change the coolant... but we do test it... and add a fortifier to it annually...

I keep them for 500K and sell them... . Now my car, and my jeep both have a special bleed procedure with a vent on the top of the thermostat housing... but on both of these the tank is lower than the top of the engine... .

 

[NavyDood]

I've had several of these trucks... we've done nothing more than add coolant or water to the overflow tank and watch it... . we've never replaced a thermostat, or for that matter change the coolant... but we do test it... and add a fortifier to it annually...

I keep them for 500K and sell them... . Now my car, and my jeep both have a special bleed procedure with a vent on the top of the thermostat housing... but on both of these the tank is lower than the top of the engine... .

What fortifier are you using for HOAT anti freeze?

To the OP... I had to changed my water pump last year so I changed the thermostat at the same time. After putting the new water pump on I filled the block through the thermostat hole as full as I could get it, installed the thermostat, filled the radiator to the brim, put the cap on and filled the overflow bottle to max. I drove the truck and parked it the rest of the day. I checked the overflow level the next morning before leaving for work and it only dropped maybe a quart. I didn't add any more antifreeze and drove my 100 mile round trip commute and added another quart or so when I go home. Haven't touched it in six months. <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

 

[rscurtis]

Crunch, find the name of that dealer so that your fellow Texan's can take their trucks there for service.

 

[Mark31]

Crunch, I just bought a new thermostat and o ring from Cummins for $30. 99, including tax. Was that dealer wearing a black mask? The cap can be removed any time the engine is cold. You could possibly get a small air pocket in the radiator if the right side of the truck was lower when refilling. Mark

 

[Mark31]

Crunch, find the name of that dealer so that your fellow Texan's can take their trucks there for service.

rs, I think you are ready now: You can go ahead and quit your day job. You can make it as a stand up comedian. :-laf Mark

 

[jelag]

Navydood... ... .

We have a Navstar with a 10 L. Cat engine and Cat has available a test strip (PH) for the coolant and a pint bottle to fortify the coolant... We test the coolant for its PH factor and add the bottle of fortifier to the coolant... I'm sure Cummins has the same... the local Cat dealer spent more money with us and I got to know one of the parts guys for advice

We've lost water pumps on the Fords we used to run and a bypass hose on the Cat at 350K miles... but have never replaced a water pump, thermostat or coolant on the Dodges or the Cat...

I sold an early Gen 1 truck with 500K miles, and over the years 4 or 5 Fords, and now have the trucks listed below. . We've not had a problem... I've thought about installing a filter and treatment like we had in a Freightliner but haven't needed it. .

We do however have extra fuel filters on all the trucks...

 

[Crunch]

Crunch, find the name of that dealer so that your fellow Texan's can take their trucks there for service.

LMAO! Well, I believe it was a Dodge dealer in Weatherford, but I wasn't there when he took it in. I had one water pump replaced under warranty, and last year another one as an emergency repair. I've done several water pumps myself on cars and gas pickups, but never on this one. I've never worried about air in the system because I always assumed (yeah, yeah... ) that the air would work it's way through the system and end up back in the overflow bottle.

 

[rscurtis]

Mark 31, I already quit my day job in May of 2007. I was one of the victims of one of the results of what has been referred to as "Irrational Exuberance".

How is that for "Greenspan speak", or would you call it comedy? IMO, there is a very fine line between the two, but much of the general population didn't think it was too funny.

 

[DUBLR]

Been through this air trapped air issue. Loosen the pipe plug on passenger side on the block. A 3/8 drive is all is takes. Basically you bleed it until yus see coolant. Only way I found when changng out coolant.

 

[HBarlow]

Some of the clowns who pose as mechanics or "technicians" in dealership service departments would not have been trusted to perform oil changes in the mechanic garages of a few years ago.

Most of the TDR guys are knowledgeable enough to avoid asking them questions or relying on them for actual mechanical work but think of all the Dodge and Chrysler product owners they abuse.

 

[MMeier]

I thought that was the purpose of the "jiggle pins" in the T -Stat, to allow air to escape through the upper hose and past the cap .

 

[WM-300]

I thought that was the purpose of the "jiggle pins" in the T -Stat, to allow air to escape through the upper hose and past the cap .

Thats what they are supposed to do. The Cummins shop manual also directs not to fill the radiator at more than 2 gallons a minute. With that said, I 'PACK' the cooling systems on all my trucks. Here is how I do it, and I have never had a air issue.

1. Make sure the coolant recovery container is at the proper full mark

2. With a COLD engine, remove the radiator cap

3. Start engine and let idle until the engine is up to temperature and coolant is circulating.

4. Have a helper push the go pedal and take the RPM's up to roughly 1500 RPMS..... AND HOLD IT AT THOSE RPMS !!!

5. Fill the radiator to capacity with coolant and put the cap on tight

6. Release the go pedal. Thats it your packed with coolant, no air.

Be sure to hold the RPM's up until you fill the radiator and put the cap back on. Then let the RPMs come back to idle

If you remove the radiator cap for any reason, you will have to re-pack the system

I even do this on my Corvette.

8valve

 

[CROW]

I flushed the cooling system and changed the thermostat on my 05 truck and used the same procedure as Navy Dood. Filled as much as possible thru the thermostat opening , installed the thermostat, filled the radiator then overfilled the overflow tank. Drove the truck and let it cool several times. To my surprise I had to siphon a small amount out of the overflow tank to get the level down to normal. Wife's Accord actually has a deal on the block to open and bleed air from the cooling system. Can see where the method DUBLR used would work as well, neat idea.