frankyknuckles Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 see here. It's a long post, but gives all the details of what I'm asking, the engine has started and the fan has kicked in when warm, but some of the pipes are cold? Cheers! Build Diary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grubbster Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 You may have Franky, it is not uncommon and they can take a bit of effort to bleed. But as your fan cut in there must be some circulation (in mine it never got warm at the rad). It may just be that you need to run it a little longer (watch the temp though) and massage the pipes to allow the air out. Some people have had trouble with thermostats also. There will be many posts on here if you search. Some of the things I did included blowing down the expansion bottle (this helped), making sure the coolant has been put in via the heater hoses. Lastly (and it appeared somewhat controversial) I raised the front of the car as high as I could and ran the engine like this with the bleed screw open on the top of the radiator - it allowed the air bubble to 'burp' out. This was a method I was advised to try (by a very reliable source) - I know others swear by it but also that some people on here have suggested it could cause damage. I have even heard of people using the engine hoist to get the front of the car high enough - I just used a jack and stands along with the slope of my drive (as you can see in the photo's). It worked for me - up to you whether to try it - sound out Arnie on it? See some photo's of my Roadsport build here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankyknuckles Posted February 8, 2004 Author Share Posted February 8, 2004 Thanks. I'll massage my pipes 😳 next time I start it 😬 Build Diary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesElliott Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 I also lifted the front of the car - but as Grubbster says, you have some circulation so by running it a few times, and constantly checking the levels, the air should soon come out. Charles --- My Caterham Academy 2004 Diary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankyknuckles Posted February 8, 2004 Author Share Posted February 8, 2004 cheers, I'll keep you posted Build Diary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frying Pan Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 Franky I think most people worry about air locks - there are a lot of horror stories after all! I was reasonably confident that my cooling system was OK, as I measured the coolant going in, and it was roughly what it should be according to the handbook (5.1l with heater). I got loads of air out by blowing into the radiator bleed screw (with the expansion bottle cap off), and also by blowing into the expansion bottle with the bleed screw off. I also filled the heater side of the system as per the Assembly Guide and gave all the pipes a good massage as Grubbster and Charles suggest! Still a very nervous few minutes watching the temperature gauge rising... rising... rising... suddenly the fan cut in 😳 Blimey it makes a noise! The radiator outlet seemed to stay cold for ages, but eventually warmed up as the thermostat opened. I found that cracking the expansion cap open whilst running helped as well. You should be fine. You really need to get the SVA booked - you're almost there! My SVA is tomorrow 😬 Guy See some pictures of the build here. Had my first drive on 19/12/03 at 17.10! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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