the ultimate tool for "burping" the cooling system
 

ok, i have heard a lot of talk in the past and recently regarding having problems getting rid of air in the cooling system especially on FD's.
about 2 years ago, a friend here in japan introduced me to a tool that has worked on every vehicle (including the FD) we have serviced the cooling system on. ironically, the tool is made in the USA by Lisle. i have never seen or heard of anyone using it while living in the US. the tool is extremely inexpensive and easy to use. there is really no need to even touch a coolant hose. install the funnel, idle the engine up to temp, and rev it a bit at interval times and voila, you have a fully "burped" cooling system. and since its a funnel design, its hard to spill water or coolant anywhere.
i have used it a countless number of times on my own FD due to countless amout of mods(which we all have). i have let FD owning friends borrow it only to receive it back after "reminding" them to return it.
the tool consists of a funnel, a funnel plug, and a few adapters to make sure it fits most vehicles.
so what you do is attach it to the FILLER neck with the appropriate adapter and proceed to fill the system up with your coolant cocktail until the funnel is approx. 1/3 full. then start the engine, let it idle and keep the funnel filled to 1/3 with your mixture. the engine will get up to operating temp and as the t-stat opens and closes, and the fans cycle on and off, the level of the funnel will rise and fall along with the air bubbles being released through the funnel and its contents not to be withdrawn back into the system. rev the engine a bit during the process a few times and squeeze a hose or two if you like and a few fan cycles later... you have a fully "airless" cooling system. the cool thing is that you can actually see the bubbles come up through the funnel so you know its working. there will be no pressure built up within the system since the funnel is vented to atmosphere so it is safe to be around it. and after you are satisfied the system has been deprived of all air, shut the engine down, plug the funnel with the included "stick", replace the filler cap, and use the remainder that is in the funnel to fill the reserve tank to the appropriate limit. it has never failed for me. i'd say try it if you're having cooling system issues because the tool is cheap. it won't repair malfunctioning coolant o-rings of course, but it will deplete the air out of your cooling system if you had trouble getting air out of it.
no, i do not work for Lisle or any tool company, i just thought i might share something that has been of great help to me and maybe others as well.
the name of the tool is the "spill-free funnel" and is part number 22150 from Lisle. i bought mine from an online tool store and received it like 2 days later. it costed about $20. used it so many times it's paid for itself again and again.
hope this would be of some help to somebody. thanx for the space.:)

pardon me, but why is this "tool" any different than buping the system with the filler cap open to atmosphere while the car is running and a regular old funnel, which is what I always do anyway??

uh, because it's really a no-nonse approach to what you are doing with a regular old funnel with a "tool" that doesn't leak from the sides when installed, can be plugged and removed (without spilling) when there is liquid in it, and can hold a larger amount of fluid to accomodate varying level fluctuations which a regular old funnel can't easily do. so the "mods" that someone made to this tool, is made on top of the regular old funnel usage. kinda like the hole on top of a beer can; we use to have to punch a hole to break vacuum to drink from the main hole until someone made the process easier and put a pull tab on it. one of those nice simple inventions upon an invention that makes things a little bit easier for some. i'm not that old but i do remember.

i may have misunderstood what you wrote when writing my last post. i think i see what you mean.

the real difference is this:
with this tool attached to the engine, it will be filled CONSTANTLY with your coolant mixture. you don't have to hold it at all. in fact, before, during, and after the whole process, you will not even touch any water or coolant execpt to clean the funnel when finished.

so... the funnel IS just a regular funnel for one use:
which is to fill the system with a minimal amount to spilling.

however... while it is firmly attached to the filler neck so as to not leak when filling, it will be constantly filled so that any remaining air withing the system will have to vent throught the funnel AND its contents. ultimately the engine can remain virtually UNATTENDED at idle until the system is completely rid of air.

now do you see the difference between the product and a regular funnel? hope that helps.

ok, cool....makes sense....less mess and wasted coolant

what online store did you buy from?

pics?

yes!! but most importantly, it is a VISUAL way of confirming whether or not there is air remaining in the system since you can "see" the air escaping through the liquid and the liquid acts as a check valve only to not let any additional air back into the system, just your coolant mixture to replace the space the air once had.

what happens to all the coolant left in the funnel when there is no more air left in the system?? Does it just spill out and onto the ground? Or are you just that good and know how much to put in.. :)

You forgot one thing. Jack the front of the car up high while you're doing this. This places the funnel at the highest point in the system and air will migrate there.

I've been telling people to burp their cooling system like this for years. this technique is not new at all.

in my first post i walked through that portion of the process.
to reiterate; after you are satisfied that all air has been depleted from the cooling system, use the accompanying "stick" to plug the funnel and keep its contents from pouring out of it. the "stick" completely plugs the outlet (bottom) of the funnel from the top of the funnel through its contents without you ever having to touch any coolant.
then, with the remaining amount in the funnel, you can use it to top off the catch tank/overflow reservoir if its low. or replace the overflow tank with a new coolant mixture.

ok, it seems that there is a bit of confusion and/or disagreements regarding this product that i wanted to introduce.

as far as those who do not agree with its use or practicality, i will NOT argue. everyone, (especially mechanics) has their own favorite way of doing things that they've been doing for years without problems. admittedly, i am one as well. but like i said, sometimes i can appreciate a bit of a change if something makes some mundane process just a little easier.

for those who wish to do a little bit more investigation on this product, here is a link to the Lisle website with a picture:

http://www.lislecorp.com/tools/newtools/main.htm#22150

My friend w/ an FD has the funnel you are refering to (is it yellow?)

He let me borrow it and it is what I recently used to redo my coolant system (along w/ copper block weld :o: )

We were wondering where you can get it.... he only has the 1... thanks!

EDIT: you just posted the link while I was typing this... that IS exactly what he has! :D

aw, just do a search with "Lisle" and the part number above and it'll come up with a bunch of results from various online retailers.

hey, you're about the only one anywhere that i've even heard of using that thing!! did it work for you??

I'll do a search.. thanks... I'm going to buy my own right now!

Did it work?... ABSOLUTLY! I was AMAZED at how well it worked too! I used it for all of my flushes also... made the job SOOOOOOo much eaiser! On a side note I did have the front of the car jacked up also to make it the high point.

I now no long have gurgling and have not had to burp the system since! No coolant loss either!

Pretty cool little tool, if I wasn't so broke I would probably get it to help with the evans instal.

found it here http://www.northernautoparts.com/Car...ctModelId=4111 for $17 + ship

Most all the guys at our shop have one of those. They're quite convinient.

That's cool, I'm definately buying one, especially since I'm getting rid of my AST tank.

I got one at a local carquest, you might want to check there before mail ordering.

how much was it i paid ~$26 shipped a year ago

Damn I wish I saw this 2 days ago I just flushed the coolent last night.

Back from the dead. There's another thread about this same tool in the FAQ. (
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/radiator-cap-funnel-eliminate-air-bubbles-342309/ ) It's good to know that other people have had good experiences with their Lisle funnels.

-s-

my lisle funnel gave me gains of 8 hp, plus im 2 inches taller!
:rlaugh:

buut yeah its that good :icon_tup:

Every guy at the dealership that I used to work at had one. We all got them off of one of the trucks, snap-on, matco or MAC. Theyre really common in the professional auto repair world. Nice for every car, not just FDs.