[1rkntoy]

I have air trapped in my cooling system. I hear a splashing sound in the dash when I have the heater on. This is what I've been told to do and it doesn't seem to be working or I'm doing something wrong.
1. Take off radiator cap
2. Start and run truck for 30 minutes
with the heater on and on high setting.
3. Watch for coolant circulating *I dont
see any coolant circulating*
4. Thermostat opens and closes a few times.
*I'm assuming the thermostat opens and
closes automatically?*
5. Shut off truck
6. Top off coolant in radiator and fill
resevior to fill mark.

Ok I follow these guidelines and I still have air trapped in my cooling system. Am I doing something wrong?
1988 Toyota V6
Thanks in advance

[ 11-03-2001: Message edited by: Salvo ]

 

[Alabamatoy]

Some Toys just seem to do this (make that gurgling sound). If you are getting heat output from the heater, and the water temp is showing normal, I would just try to ignore it.

I dont think this is air in the system, I think its cavitation in the heater core. If it really bothers you, I would flush the cooling system real well, refill, then check the heater control valve to make sure its opening all the way.

Good luck....

 

[Phil Linker]

When I installed my shower heatexchanger I had problems "priming" the heater core. I ended up pulling the hose from the heater core flow valve and adding coolant directly to the core. You can pretty much bleed that system like you would brakes.

If you are expecting vigorous flow through the heater loop you are mistaken. It flows, but it operates in parallel (not series) with the cooling system.

 

[Slick]

<FONT COLOR="Red"> Uhg, I hate to say this.... My friend had the same sound of "air trapped in the heater" coming from uner his dash. He couldn't get it to clear up. Turned out that he had a blown head gasket Hopefully this is not the case here.</FONT c>

 

[1rkntoy]

I had the block tested last month to see if it was the headgasket. The head turned out ok. That was my first assumption, a blown head gasket. The heater will usually only blow warm air when I'm driving along. If I stop at a light for a minute, with the heater blowing, the warm air starts to blow cool.

I recently replaced the valve heater switch assembly on the firewall. That's probably when I began to have the problem. I am going to flush the system anyway, since I heard its better to use Toyota coolant and distilled water. Hopefully that cures it. If it doesn't. As long as the temp guage doesn't rise, I should be OK. Right? I want my Toy to last for a long time.

 

[OOP'S]

Just a thought did you get the heater hoses back on right, or maybe you reversed them?:usa: :usa: :smokin:

 

[1rkntoy]

Good point. I went out and check it but the hoses are connected right. That would be just too easy With my luck, thats usually how it goes. I'm good at breaking things in my truck :emb: LOL

 

[ROKTOY]

Dunno it this is helpful, but when I swapped in a new thermostat in our V6, Toytech recommended drilling a 1/8" hole in the thermostat toward the outer edge. He said V6s were hard to bleed and this would serve to let the air work its way outta the system.

FWIW.

Jay

 

[Kamster1200]

Hole drilled

That's funny! I also heard that you needed to drill the hole in the t-stat so that the hot water from the heater return did not cause the t-stat to stay open. I also remember a 2-stage t-stat for a turbo or something that was supposed to cure the same thing.

 

[gadget]

I have experienced the gurgling and loss of heat in the heater core before. My problem was due to a restricted heater core. The gurgling sound was the coolant squezzing past the restriction and of course the limited flow caused the weak heat.

I replaced the heater core and the sound is gone and there is alot more heat now.