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It may just self bleed if you're lucky and only changed the t stat.
Last time I changed my t-stat on a trip last year I didn't bleed it and it was fine for the trip. Got home and then bled it properly. I had no waterfall noise in the heater core etc. Just fluctuating temps which I could see on the Ultragauge.
Why don't you have the bleeder screw -- pics of your setup?
To answer a bit more specifically what to do without a bleed screw, would be:
Raise the coolant bottle out of its little holder about 8"
Slowly pour coolant into the bottle, hopefully it should go down into the hoses etc
Slowly is key here
Massage the hoses around the engine bay as you do this (keep the coolant bottle elevated!), maybe some bubbles will come up into the expansion tank?
If you can't get it bled, best course of action would be to DRAIN the system entirely. Then refill it from scratch using above method.
I use a kids baby pool to preserve coolant I need to reuse btw when I do this. It lets it spill out in a few spots and you save it.
To answer a bit more specifically what to do without a bleed screw, would be:
Raise the coolant bottle out of its little holder about 8"
Slowly pour coolant into the bottle, hopefully it should go down into the hoses etc
Slowly is key here
Massage the hoses around the engine bay as you do this (keep the coolant bottle elevated!), maybe some bubbles will come up into the expansion tank?
If you can't get it bled, best course of action would be to DRAIN the system entirely. Then refill it from scratch using above method.
I use a kids baby pool to preserve coolant I need to reuse btw when I do this. It lets it spill out in a few spots and you save it.
here you go
unless the first photo is the bleeder screw? It thought it would be on the at connector?
Also how do I lift the coolant reservoir? It seems to be connected to a hose on the tire side with no play. If I disconnect that hose then i cant fill the reservoir. Know wha I mean?
Pull up on the end of the reservoir with the cap. It has two rubber feet that press into holes. The opposite end has hard plastic edge that slips into a notch on the bracket.
It’ seems to be OK right now. What are some symptoms of air in the coolant circuit? I have run the truck for about 15 minutes and the temperature is actually very low with the new 180 Tstat.
With the 180 thermostat... running temp is typically around 186F to 194F for me, with up to 201F when idling. Sudden spikes in the temps could point to air in the system. Or the waterfall sound usually coming from the glovebox area.
It looks like you have some non-standard parts in your coolant hoses. Not a big deal, but it may therefore be correct that the photo you posted is a bleed screw.
You also appear to still have the early style fan with the enclosing ring. Apparently those can develop cracks around the inside of the perimeter and then break apart, causing some major damage. You might want to think about changing that out for the Dorman/Hayden fan and clutch combination.
