whats the best method of removing trapped air from the cooling system?

 

Mine was doing the same thing....I just dealt with it for a week or so and it eventually fixed itself.....but I changed the rad fluid and its doing it again....so I'll be waiting for the answer to this one.

 

Use the red Toyota Long Life Coolant to refill the system, and the overflow tank. Start the engine with the cap off and continue filling while the engine warms up and the thermostat opens, bleeding out any trapped air. Once the thermostat is open, revving up the engine a little will help move any air pockets to the radiator.

 

Fill up the overfill reservoir, fill radiator, crank it up adding more as the fluid level drops, watch the gauge for it to open up and freely flow, add more then manually rev the engine up. I havent done mine yet, but IF Toyota uses the bleeder valves/screws make sure you depressurize them too after turning the engine off.

 

I'll probably will get laughed at for this one, but it always works for me.When the engine is cold but just started up and running, rad cap off, fill to top, grab the upper rad hose and keep squezing it. It seem too work out alot of air bubbles. Keep filling and squezing until the thermostat opens up. Also parking uphill will help the air bubbles to work their way to the rad opening , since air will always be on the top.

Hey, It works for me.

 

I park on an incline as well and slide the heater lever/switch to the hot position and leave the rad cap off whenever burping the coolant system.

 

parking on an incline helps. usually i jack up the front and fill it while its running with the heat on.

 

Have your buddy wrap his lips around the opening and....

 

That wasn't even funny but what can you expect from some people!! Jacking the front up or using auto ramps does help in this procedure. Be patient and make sure the heater is in max position!! Good luck!!

 

Many engines will have a bleed valve some where on the engine. Quite often it is just behind the thermostat housing. Opening it will release trapped air in the engine.

And, this suggestion; "Have your buddy wrap his lips around the opening and....", is not as far fetched as it seems. Of course you shouldn't try it with the system hot, but quite often with a stubborn system, I will put a clean rag over the rad fill neck and blow to create pressure in the system. This can force excess air out the bleed valve on the engine.

 

um bad idea. Ethylene gylcol is deadly in that it induces permantant renal failure when the ethylene glycol crystalizes into calcium oxalates in the kidneys. The only way to prevent crystalization is to increase the BAL level, but we have never been able to save any animals that have consumed even small quantities of antifreeze...

I would advice against this pressurizing procedure...

 

ok, check this out--- toyota water pumps go in the opposite direction of american water pumps, meaning, there is no way that air can get trapped in the system unless somehow you spun the pump with half the coolant in there. Even the 22re has an automatic cavitation elimination setting which varies the idle up and down until all the air bubbles are out.

So, just drain all the coolant and put it back in-- make sure that you put ENOUGH coolant so that there are no voids, the engine will automatically take care of the air bubbles. notice that there are no bleed valves on toyotas--thats because the engineers already thought of that and came up with a solution.

T

 

Of course, I would never suggest that one drinks any coolant, and the amount of 'pressure' I use is negligable, so I don't have any back surges. But your words of caution are noteworthy.

 

the 3.0's can get airlocked.

 

just use an air compressor.

 

Quick question on this topic...I am going to flush my system tonight and I have never done it yet on the Runner. On some vehicles I have owned the coolant is drained by turning the drain valve clockwise. When I go to drain the coolant will I be turning the valve clockwise or counter clockwise? I once broke off a valve and I dont want to do that again... Thanks