Ok.. I have tried

1. running it with the heater on full, while parked on a steep hill, with the radiator cap off... several times.

I still hear gushing water in the morning... clearly the air is not all out.

There must be another method to get the air out... this is annoying as hell.

 

I've never had an issue bleeding mine out--don't know what to tell you...

 

I haven't had any issue with that either. Is your thermostat and radiator cap good (new-ish?).

 

Thermostat is brand new... and it was tested in the boiling water..worked fine. The radiator cap is not new... What effect would that have? I know the system is pressurized but I pull the cap off to bleed it so I am not sure why it sitting in my hand new or old would matter... Thanks for any info.

 

Are you "massaging" or squeezing the upper and lower rad hoses while you are doing this? How is your temp reading? Is the overflow canister at the full line?

 

When you burb it, make sure the engine is hot enough to open the thermostat...otherwise it's useless.
Another way is to take the thermostat out, run the engine with heater on, and cap off. Put the thermostat on then fill the rest with water again.

 

I do squeeze the upper hose.. haven't tried the lower hose.. The engine temp reading is perfectly in the middle. The overflow canister is at the full line.

Not point in pulling the t-stat.. that is why i am bleeding it in the first place.. I replaced it then refilled the 1/3 or so that came out.

 

hey i was just wondering... how important is it to bleed the coolant system? i havent bled mine and my truck runs fine without over heating. when i rebuilt the engine i filled the radiator ran the engine a little and checked it and refilled as necessary. so how important is it?

 

Make sure you are getting the system hot. When I replaced my t-stat and rad cap I found that I had a very hard time getting the lower rad hose to warm up while idling in the driveway. My driveway has just a small amount of slope so after changing the coolant I drove the front wheels up onto a 2x4, took the cap off and ran it for a while, never getting the lower hose warm, much less hot. Then I gave up, put the cap on and drove it and everything has been fine.

 

are you getting hot air when you turn on the heat?
Does your truck over heat? If not, maybe you don't have a problem.

 

You really don't bleed the coolant system. You either flush it or "burp" it. Burping it just means you are trying to get all the air out of the coolant system. Since it's pressurized, if there are air bubbles/air they can cause pockets and the motor can overheat.

 

ok. im not real worried about it cuz my truck runs quite cool actually (at about 1/3 on the temp gauge). i was just wondering.

 

Yea, you should be fine then!

 

Just jack the front end up high, set the heater to hot (opens the cooling lines in the cab) and run till the truck is at its normal temp.

If you keep getting air in the system than you have a leak. If your rad cap is old and crappy try a new one.. How tight does it feel on the rad??

 

i've had good luck with taking the upper hose off the radiator, and rotating it up, and pouring the coolant directly into the upper hose which fills the engine.

 

I just blackflushed my system and then used a radiator cleaner, flushed it again, and then added coolant. I used the prestone Tee splicer with a garden hose connection, which allows me to force water through the whole system.

however, the specs call for 10liters and i could barely get 6liters in. I am afraid i still have tap water and some minor radiator flush left in the engine coolant, but i do not know how to get it out. I tried looking for the drain plugs on the engine but cannot locate them. My truck is still running fine, but i was hoping to see a better performance in the heater and faster warm up times, because i live in very cold climate, but i don't think i'm noticing any difference. which is disappointing considering the time and money i put into it

I am also afraid that if i leave tap water in there i am going to cause more damage than good. I tried running the engine while jacked up in front, as well as massaging the hoses. I even drained it and refilled and could only fit the same ammount.

Do i have to find those plugs and use them in order to properly refill the cooling system?

 

I have one of the tee splicer things too.. didn't use it though. But from what I understand you just add straight coolant in the amount that is left in there... they mix and it's 50/50... then top up with 50/50 and you are good to go...

Back to my problem I will try a new rad cap.. it definitely doesn't feel tight. I may try one with a breather on it.. apparently it bleeds air as you drive etc.. anyone use one of these?

 

Wow thanks, that makes all the sense in the world. That is really as easy as 5+5=10. Considering i couldn't get more than 6 liters and it calls for 10.

looks like i will be reflushing w/ garden hose. drain. then flush with distilled and draining. then fill up with 5 liters of straight coolant. Then top off with 50/50. Sound about right?

Thank you so much and sorry for butting in on your thread.

 

What coolant was originally in the system? Usually you want to stick with Toyota Red long life coolant. That stuff is super thick, almost like syrup. I would pre-mix that before dumping parts of that in then distilled water. Your t-stat may get stuck and you may overheat.

 

I tried everything listed here and nothing would work to get the air out. My engine would get to red line temperature and i would have to shut it off.

I was about to lose it.

Then i noticed that even though water was boiling out of the cap and the engine was quite hot, the thermostat housing and lower radiator hose were barely lukewarm to the touch.
I boiled a large pan of water and poured it through a funnel directly onto the the thermostat housing. I then started the engine. After about a minute i heard a distinct difference in the engine and the coolant level in the radiator began to drop. I topped it off as it dropped. The engine FINALLY did not over heat and is now running great.