I don't understand the coolant bleeder/tank system

[rp17]

Drove the car and for got something at home. Returned to the garage, coolant everywhere in front the passenger side rear wheels.. checked the coolant resvoir for leaks... nothing but saw the bleeder valve showing signs of leakage.. Was going to replace the water pump but kinda lost now.. Been leaking for a while. Replaced shifter cables and saw red coolant from a drain hose that I know now is coolant...Could this still be a water pump issue or bad cap? I'm spent right now can't think...

[Brian in Tucson]

Originally Posted by rp17

Drove the car and for got something at home. Returned to the garage, coolant everywhere in front the passenger side rear wheels.. checked the coolant resvoir for leaks... nothing but saw the bleeder valve showing signs of leakage.. Was going to replace the water pump but kinda lost now.. Been leaking for a while. Replaced shifter cables and saw red coolant from a drain hose that I know now is coolant...Could this still be a water pump issue or bad cap? I'm spent right now can't think...

The drain hose is an overflow hose. Fill the reservoir too much and it will spew out onto the pavement. It's generally in front of the right rear tire. If you have coolant dripping behind the right rear tire, you have a coolant reservoir leak and coolant is draining out of the trunk.

If you have a wet floor in your trunk, you need a new reservoir. If you do, get a new cap and a coolant level sensor, too. The clip clamps make it a pretty miserable job, they all seemed to be facing the wrong way. While you're in there, replace the little sections of hose between the reservoir where it goes thru the firewall and the metal system tubes.

I did all this stuff last fall, my hands are finally healing up!

[SC-986]

I'm a fan of the "AirLift" system. Replaced the WP, T-stat, and engine mount on my '02 base a couple of years ago. After watching a few YouTube tutorials on use of the "AirLift" system it was easy peasy. Used a 6 gal. pancake compressor to draw vacuum.

I like the fact that you can verify the integrity of the cooling system based on whether or not it holds vacuum. If there is a problem you can recheck your work prior to re-filling the system. Saves a lot of time in potential rework and you can refill the system in no time with no worries of air in the system.

[Brian in Tucson]

It really doesn't do any good if you can't hold a vacuum. Need to get it to 20 to 25 inches of vacuum, and have it hold. Problem with trying to use it as a diagnostic aid is that the compressor and the venturi vacuum make so much noise that you can't hear the leak.

The sealing and bleeding the system is just one of the things I'm currently working on. The little manifold that's part of the coolant tank is a little cute for my tastes. It will be simplified by drilling out the plastic sections and run longer lengths of rubber hose, I think. Fewer connections mean less chance of leaks.

I've got leaks.:ah: