Heater hose routing
Pro Wrench
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,709
Likes: 137
From: NE PA
Why am I doing this? I've written this many times here.
I may be among a minority but I've never had any problem bleeding the cooling system using the procedure described in the RAVE (absent removing the block drain plugs). It is not wrong, regardless of what others write here. And I've done it several times with great success, including three or four times last month when I again flushed and refilled the system.
In my experience, I don't need to cross my fingers, wear a tinfoil hat, or park my truck facing uphill. (What would members in Florida do? There are few hills.)
Tip #1 - Fill and bleed the system with the truck stone cold.
Tip#2 - Follow the RAVE procedure and refer to Tip #1.
Tip #3 - Setting the heater to high does nothing. Coolant flows through the heater circuit at all times when the engine is running. There is no valve or control in the heater circuit.
I start by disconnecting the lower hose at the radiator and the top hose from the thermostat and position it to be below the water pump inlet to allow the system to drain. Once it's drained fully I reconnect the hoses and fill the system with distilled water from the expansion tank, with the tank raised 8" per the RAVE instructions until fluid flows from the bleeder screw hole.
I then replace the expansion tank in its mount, fill the tank to the seam and drive it a few miles. After letting the system cool fully the level in the tank is typically down ~3/4". I typically drain and refill with distilled water three times, after which I drain and then refill with Prestone concentrate. After topping up after driving following the Prestone concentrate fill i can finishing adding the rest of the second gallon of Prestone which by my math gets the truck to a 50/50 coolant mix.
As I said, no standing on one leg and touching my index finger to my nose, no crossing my fingers, no tinfoil hats and no parking on a hill. It's worked for me every time for nearly ten years. It may not work for all but it's worked perfectly well for me. Good luck.
I may be among a minority but I've never had any problem bleeding the cooling system using the procedure described in the RAVE (absent removing the block drain plugs). It is not wrong, regardless of what others write here. And I've done it several times with great success, including three or four times last month when I again flushed and refilled the system.
In my experience, I don't need to cross my fingers, wear a tinfoil hat, or park my truck facing uphill. (What would members in Florida do? There are few hills.)
Tip #1 - Fill and bleed the system with the truck stone cold.
Tip#2 - Follow the RAVE procedure and refer to Tip #1.
Tip #3 - Setting the heater to high does nothing. Coolant flows through the heater circuit at all times when the engine is running. There is no valve or control in the heater circuit.
I start by disconnecting the lower hose at the radiator and the top hose from the thermostat and position it to be below the water pump inlet to allow the system to drain. Once it's drained fully I reconnect the hoses and fill the system with distilled water from the expansion tank, with the tank raised 8" per the RAVE instructions until fluid flows from the bleeder screw hole.
I then replace the expansion tank in its mount, fill the tank to the seam and drive it a few miles. After letting the system cool fully the level in the tank is typically down ~3/4". I typically drain and refill with distilled water three times, after which I drain and then refill with Prestone concentrate. After topping up after driving following the Prestone concentrate fill i can finishing adding the rest of the second gallon of Prestone which by my math gets the truck to a 50/50 coolant mix.
As I said, no standing on one leg and touching my index finger to my nose, no crossing my fingers, no tinfoil hats and no parking on a hill. It's worked for me every time for nearly ten years. It may not work for all but it's worked perfectly well for me. Good luck.
Again, turning the heat on high does allow you to determine how well the core is flushed.
If what you say is true, you wouldnt have people having the waterfall sound after they bleed per the book.
Temps over 196-200 show that there's air.
Common problems here since everyone has to refine a working system with therm add ons and all kinds of t fittings. Just because the few of you don't park on a hill doesn't mean it won't work for others since the factory method or your method doesn't.
Simple really.
Pro Wrench
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,935
Likes: 189
From: Coastal Georgia
......
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
