How to Bleed a Radiator with No Bleed Valve
Air bubbles can easily find their way into the cooling system of your vehicle whenever you replace or fill the radiator with coolant, creating dangerous hot spots of air pockets. Depending on the amount, the trapped air may overheat sections of the engine block if not removed. Even if your system does not come equipped with a bleed valve as newer systems do, you still can remove those pockets from the radiator and prevent damage to your engine. Best of all, you can perform this repair job at home without tools.
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Instructions
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1
Open the garage door or park your car outside the garage so that you work in a well-ventilated area.
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2
Get in your vehicle and set the heater temperature to the hottest position.
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3
Open the hood and remove the radiator cap and verify that the coolant level reaches the bottom of the radiator neck and the fluid level in the coolant reservoir is at the "Low" mark. If your vehicle is not equipped with a coolant reservoir, the fluid should be about 1 inch (25 mm) below the bottom of the radiator neck. If necessary, add an equal mixture of the recommended antifreeze for your particular vehicle model and distilled water.
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4
Start the engine and wait until the thermostat opens, usually about 20 minutes, and then shut off the engine. When the thermostat opens, you will see the coolant beginning to flow through the radiator neck and the upper radiator hose becomes hot.
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Wait about 20 minutes for the engine to cool. If the coolant level in the radiator and the reservoir dropped after the engine has cooled, add more coolant to return it to the proper level.
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Compress the upper radiator hose about three times with your hand to remove the air. Add more coolant, if necessary, to bring the coolant to the proper level and replace the radiator cap.
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Start the engine and wait about 20 minutes for the engine to reach operating temperature. Check the radiator hoses for leaks. Turn off the engine and close the hood.
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Tips & Warnings
When working in the cooling system of your vehicle, make sure the engine is cool before removing the radiator or reservoir cap to prevent hot coolant from spraying out and burning you.
