Won't take coolant

[MoShadeTree]

Hey Guys... I am getting flustered with trying to get coolant into the radiator. History... 2001 disco 123k. Leaking coolant in front so I changed the water pump. Top hose was weeping from the bleed screw and it was the old style so I replaced it. Hose would not come off the pump so I cut it and replace it along with thermostat. Leaned too hard on plastic line & broke it so I replaced it & the heater plate. Got everything together and was trying to follow the write up that Spike did on bleeding the system. Per instructions - add coolant until it comes out of the bleeder. It took 1 1/2 gallon to fill the coolant bucket but nothing from the bleeder screw. Bright idea... Start it up. Coolant came out of screw turn off engine and it took another 1/2 gallon but still nothing from bleeder screw. Let the engine run was able to add another 1/2 gallon but heat is cold heater hose is cold and upper hose warm but not hard. Let it cool (225 before I cut it off). Added another 1/2 gallon. Same results. Help Please!!! Oh yeah belt is on correctly

[Savannah Buzz]

1. On a D2, the coolant is flowing at all times thru the heater core, there is no valve like in early D1s. So one of those hoses (or both) going toward firewall should be warm. These are #4 and #9 in attached drawing from RAVE.

2. Belt route OK - if so, pump pulley and fan should be turning counter clockwise, when standing at front of truck looking a windshield. Air should be sucked toward grille, not blown toward front.

3. When you replaced water pump, look at top of thermostat. Is water pump intake connected to the top center port on the stat or the side "arm" port? Should be just like drawing, water pump gets water from the "side arm" port.

4. It is normal for hose to top of stat and hose from stat to water pump to be warm. Coolant flows thru here at all times engine is running, it enters thru the top going thru some sampling holes. It mixes with cool water from radiator lower hose, warms it up, opens stat, and flow happens. Stat is supposed to start to open at 180, then full open at 204 F. Will go a little higher first two or three cycles of the day and then drop back down.

5. Stat could be stuck closed. Stat could be full of trash in sampling holes, which reduces flow to heater hose before the main stat opens. If no sample water making it down to warm up stat, it will stay closed. See pic of clogged sample holes, clogs could be gunk broken loose by new more powerful water pump.

6. Is new coolant compatible with what was in there? If old coolant was Dexcool, the orange stuff, you could also have mud formation, reducing coolant flow in radiator. Heater core could be clogged - you can remove heater hoses an flush reverse direction .

7. By my count you are at 12 quarts so far (1.5 gallons + 1/2 gallon+ 1/2 gallon + 1/2 gallon). Spec is 12.1 quarts: from RAVE capacities

Cooling system - V8 Engine:
⇒ Refill 24.2 pt

⇒ Fill from dry 26.2 pt

[Spike555]

With the engine off and cold add as much coolant as you can, start the engine and open the bleed screw, let the coolant come out of there.
It will burp, coolant, air, coolant, air...once only coolant comes out replace bleed screw BUT do NOT shut off the engine.
Keep the system full the whole time.
Leave the cap off the coolant bottle the whole time too.
You should have hot air coming out of the vents by now.
Once you do replace the coolant cap and then shut the engine off.

[tee51397]

Have you been raising the expansion tank above the level of everything when filling? Sorry if that's obvious but it's a vital and often overlooked part of the procedure.

[Savannah Buzz]

And I would suppose if a big bubble is trapped in the heater core, might have to raise engine speed above idle to force enough coolant through to move the bubble around. Wish they made that bleeder fitting where a hose could attach to drain to a bucket - or a shop vac to suck more of the air bubbles and coolant spittle out.

[Disco Mike]

Hate to suggest a different way to bleed a D2, but you do it cold, with the screw off, fill till you have a steady stream of coolant coming from the bleeder, then reinstall the screw and the cap, then with both heaters turned to full hot, then you start the engine and let the engine idle till it is warm and the heater is blowing warm to hot air at an idle. If the heater doesn't blow warm to hot air at an idle, let the engine go back to stone cold and rebleed again.
Over the next couple of mornings, prior to a cold start, fill the bottle up to the cap and only check or add coolant before a cold start for an accurate reading.

[MoShadeTree]

Thanks Guys for all of your suggustions. This morning I was going to drive it and hope for the best. Removed the bleeder screw, add another 1/4 gallon and let her run. Coolant without air bubble was coming from the bleed screw. Closed screw and replace cap. Per Scanner, Temp was 179 and cold air from vents. When driving, I have the water in dash sound. Temp slowly climb to 221 and sat there for about 5 mins. Vent now blowing luke warm. Enter the freeway and temp climbs to 239 - 235 -239 which I was not comfortable with so I when back home. Round trip - 5 miles. When I got home, Vent was hot and water in dash was not as loud as before. Let Idle for 5 mins never went over 239, just keep bouncing 239 - 235 - 239. When I get home tonight I will burp her again and go from there.

Buzz - To answer your questions - #1 Hose was cold last night and they was cold this morning eventhought the temp was 179. At 239 the was very warm but I would not say Hot. #2 Checked and Okay #3 Checked and Okay #6 Old coolant was green. No mud on pump or heater plate. #7 I agree but no way to account for coolant on the ground from bleeding and over-flow from coolant bucket.

Spike - Your suggustion is what I did last night on the first fill. What threw me was I was expecting coolant to come out of the bleeder without me running the engine. Once I started it, I did get air - coolant - air - coolant and a big mess. lol... I can laugh this morning but last night I was pissed. Garage and shoes has oily film everywhere and it's 17 degrees outside.

Tee - Had the tank as high as I could without kinking the hoses. Of Course I had to lower the tank while I go check the temp.

Mike - I will check tonight, but I have not been able to get coolant to flow from bleeder screw/port without the engine running.

[Savannah Buzz]

Perhaps hose 13 in the drawing (top of radiator to coolant reserve container) called the radiator bleed hose is kinked or blocked. It should allow bubbles at top of radiator to flow out of the system to the coolant jug. Guess it could be a place to disconnect, and add a piece of hose to go to a drain bucket. It's higher than the bleed screw isn't it? If the radiator is really full, coolant should come out steady. Now I don't have one of these advanced rolling tea kettles, but it would seem to me that if you have so much air in the system that the heater hoses are cold (just steam flow), the engine is over warm, that the rad may not be as full as we would like it to be. Water seeks its own level. If it is too low to go up the heater hoses, perhaps there is also a big bubble in the radiator.

[Disco Mike]

Originally Posted by MoShadeTree

Thanks Guys for all of your suggustions. This morning I was going to drive it and hope for the best. Removed the bleeder screw, add another 1/4 gallon and let her run. Coolant without air bubble was coming from the bleed screw. Closed screw and replace cap. Per Scanner, Temp was 179 and cold air from vents. When driving, I have the water in dash sound. Temp slowly climb to 221 and sat there for about 5 mins. Vent now blowing luke warm. Enter the freeway and temp climbs to 239 - 235 -239 which I was not comfortable with so I when back home. Round trip - 5 miles. When I got home, Vent was hot and water in dash was not as loud as before. Let Idle for 5 mins never went over 239, just keep bouncing 239 - 235 - 239. When I get home tonight I will burp her again and go from there.

Buzz - To answer your questions - #1 Hose was cold last night and they was cold this morning eventhought the temp was 179. At 239 the was very warm but I would not say Hot. #2 Checked and Okay #3 Checked and Okay #6 Old coolant was green. No mud on pump or heater plate. #7 I agree but no way to account for coolant on the ground from bleeding and over-flow from coolant bucket.

Spike - Your suggustion is what I did last night on the first fill. What threw me was I was expecting coolant to come out of the bleeder without me running the engine. Once I started it, I did get air - coolant - air - coolant and a big mess. lol... I can laugh this morning but last night I was pissed. Garage and shoes has oily film everywhere and it's 17 degrees outside.

Tee - Had the tank as high as I could without kinking the hoses. Of Course I had to lower the tank while I go check the temp.

Mike - I will check tonight, but I have not been able to get coolant to flow from bleeder screw/port without the engine running.

You might want to send me your number and I'll call you, cause you aren't going to get it handled the way you are going.

[Snafu / Disco Fries]

I'm thinking your t-stat is stuck closed if you are hitting those temps on the highway. Can you swap the old one in and try it? I put a new t-stat in a couple months ago and it was a bad unit from the factory and never opened up.