Date:         Tue, 2 Mar 2004 19:38:28 -0800
Reply-To:     vanagon <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         vanagon <vanagon@ASTOUND.NET>
Subject:      Purging Cooling System of Air
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Well, I really appreciate all who have responded and are responding to my initial question about this topic. Great minds think alike. Please reference the Bently book to 19.16 Filling the cooling system.

I believe that it is easy to miss-interpret the way this procedure reads.  Where it says to "raise vehicle approx. 40 cm (15 3/4 in.) at front under cross-member with floor jack and wooden support  or equivalent"  I think some folks tend to think this is only a height of 15 3/4 at the cross member. I believe "raise vehicle" means to LIFT IT THAT MUCH. or it would read "raise vehicle TO.......at the cross member.  I am not sure some of us realize how high in the air this puts your Vanagon. It is so high that the bumper ends up almost 4 feet off the ground! My jackstands are all the way at there ends and then some placed under the front jack ports on both sides.  Putting the front wheels on a curb ain't even close!  not by a mile!   nor is just saying to do it level and it will be okay, its not ! .  The factory recommends this steep angle because the hoses leaving the engine go down before they go level and it has a LONG way to go to get to the Radiator.  I sincerely doubt they would recommend such a steep angle with little regard.

I am thinking of using a large plastic (new) Hudson type sprayer so I can put the pre-mix into the sprayer tank and pressurize the top of the fluid. This makes kind of a large version of what a  Power Brake Bleeder is. Hudson sprayers pull from the bottom of the tank so if you keep it topped up you will never put air in the system. then I can use an old cap with the spring valve removed to connect to the system.  As long as one can get past the thermostat I should be able to make good progress.  But I will definitely have the vehicle raised to the prescribed height in the front as the factory says. 
 
By getting more fluid in the system, without having to start the engine it will make things much easier, because until the fluid can circulate well, it overheats, and the steam pressure pumps your new fluid back out all over you, your engine, your hot exhaust, even while the darn thing is revving along at 2200 rpms with the front 4 feet off the ground.  It will splash back out of the tank.  You will definitely find yourself asking if you are having fun yet.
 
Please keep the suggestions coming, there are allot of creative minds out there and well all need a better way to do this.
If the Hudson sprayer idea works I will follow up.  
My other idea is to run the water pump from an electric motor with a fan belt or similar, again, to get more fluid in before running the engine.
I also considered drilling a small 1/8 hole in the metal of the thermostat because I notice it seals absolutely shut.  This would allow you to do a slow fill past it.
Whatdoyathinkofthat
 
Cheers,
 
Doug