This is on a 1997. So replaced the thermostat and upper hose, just becuase the hose was old. So when I went to refill with anti-freeze, I undid plug at top of radiator, filled with new coolant in the reservior until it came out. Started car, let it warm to operating temp, refilled the reservoir, checked for leaks, closed it up. When I started to drive it noticed the sloshing in the firewall. Did I do something incorrectly?
Thanks for you help

 

You have an air bubble in the heater core. You need to bleed the entire cooling system to get rid of that. With the coolant tank elevated and the cap removed, allow the engine to come up to operating temperature. You'll get a bubble of air come out of the tank when the thermostat opens then a second air bubble when the air moves out of the heater. Keep watching the coolant level and topping it off until the level stops dropping.

 

The heater MUST be on when bleeding the system, if it is not then no coolant will flow through it.
When you turn the heater off it disconnects the heater from the loop.
So turn the heater on and start over.
You should replace the lower hose too, after all it is the same age as the upper one.

 

Bleed it again.

 

So tried it again today, took cap off, turned heater on, reved up to about 3K RPM for a minute or two. Still have waterfall sound. So did the same thing on my ramps, still no cure. I have heat, so do I need to worry about overheating? Should I drive around with the cap off and see if I can push the air out? Any other suggestions. What about draining a refilling, just start over from the basics again. Thanks for all your suggestions

 

A minute or two isn't enough to bleed the system. You have to run the engine long enough for it to come up to operating temperature and the thermostat to open then continue to let it run until the air in the heater works its way to the open coolant tank so it can escape. Any air left in the system will eventually end up right back in your heater. There's no need to drain and refill, that's just going to put more air in the system. You just need to be patient when you're bleeding it or take it to a mechanic and have them bleed it.

 

I would suggest you bleed the system when stone cold, open the bleed screw, fill the coolant bottle till coolant comes out the bleed screw, replace the screw and cap, run the engine with the heater on and then top off the coolant bottle the next morning when stone cold.

 

This job takes no less than 30 mins, just leave the heater on and the cap off and let it idle for as long as it takes.
Every time you turn the engine off with the cap off you will suck air back into the system.
Make sure it is full when you start and the engine is stone cold.

Mike-he has a DI, no bleed screw on a DI.

 

Thanks guys for all of your suggestions. Tried again last night. Here is what I did:

Remove cap from reservor
Remove bleed screw from top of radiator
Filled reservior until fluid came out of bleed hole
Put bleed screw back in
Turned heater on
Started truck, let it run till upper hose got hot
Kept running it and reving it up

Still has air in the heater core. You can hear the water rushing in at 2K RPM. But I do have heat. ANy other suggestions.

 

Dont replace the bleed screw ontop of the radiator until hot coolant comes out while the truck is running.
Sorry, I forgot about that screw.
So when cold, remove radiator bleed screw, radiator cap, fill them both, start the truck with heater on, once hot coolant comes out of the bleed screw at a steady rate replace it, once steady steam comes out of the expansion tank replace that cap too.