(COOLING/OIL) Coolent air pockets?
 

Hey guys!
I just changed the coolent in my 1981 RX-7 GSL.
When i was done i took it for a test run and watched the gauges closely.
The temp gauge was normal and no warning lights came on.
When i made turns i notice the "add coolent" light would come on for a few seconds and go out. I stopped the car in a parking lot and checked the coolent in the radiator and reservoir and it was not low.

The light came on only when making a turn. Could it be air pockets? How do i get rid of them? What could it be?

I had fallowed the Haynes manuals steps to change the antifreeze.
1) fill radiator
2) set the heater on full blast
3) add coolent as the level goes down
4) press gass pedal 2 or 3 times, add more coolent if needed.

The strange thing is that i never saw the level go down after the engine reached operating temperature so i never had to add more coolent at step 3 above.
The radiator is full.


Also i noticed when i drained the coolent from the drain in the block that it came out splashing on the inside of the wheel components (tie rods, ball joints, calipers, etc.). Will the antifreeze hurt them or anything there?

Thanks guys!

sorry bad info

It's completely normal for a fresh coolant flush to result in air pockets in the system - nothing to worry about here, and they will work themselves out over time. Make sure that your overflow bottle is above the 'Fill' line, and it will gradually let out any air bubbles and suck in coolant to replace that volume.

The explanation for this is that when you drain the radiator (and block, as you indicate), you're draining ALL coolant out of the motor and radiator, which is the preferred method. As you replace fluid by adding through the radiator cap, it is only able to fill the engine block up to where the upper radiator hose meets the water pump. This results in air pockets in the system which can only be purged through driving. I have also experienced high engine temperature readings immediately after a coolant flush due to the air pockets decreasing cooling efficiency - adding more coolant to the radiator to fill the space fixed the problem.

I wouldn't be too concerned about it, and just drive your car normally for the next few days until you check the coolant level again. By then, any air bubbles will have circulated through the system and been purged through the radiator cap. HTH,

i couldn't find the plug on the drives side of the motor, so i just dumped it from the lower rad hose. fill'd er up with some plain old water, got it hot, drove around the block, and then dumped it again, then filled with big yellow.

can some1 take a pic of the drainplug for the block. only thing i saw was a 10mm bolt under the filler tube. but i just got my oil changed and didn't wana pull the wrong plug out.

carl.

Follow the oil fill tube down, just above the oil pan is the drain plug for the block. Cant miss it.

A friend of mine had this happen with his honda. It burned out his e-fan, which kept kicking in thinking the engine was overheating (air pocket right at temp sensor) I told him all he had to do was park on an incline and let it idle, thereby putting the rad higher than the engine, but he had it towed to a garage instead. A $120 repair bill later, the garage mech told him that the towtruck lifting the front end likely removed the air bubble causing the problem. Lifting the front end. Like parking on an incline does ;)

Yeah I was thinking the same thing Manntis. Do step #3 above on an inclined driveway and it should mitigate the problem.

Thank you!
 

Thanks guys!!! :D

Your help is always so much appreciated!




Myc1972

whenever i do coolant changes at work, i let the car run until the thermostat opens up, then run it at 3k for a minute with the heater on full blast. ive had 2 cars come back because they overheated from not letting an air pocket out.