I would like to share my experience with getting to grips with what seems a common issue. My problems started several months ago when I checked my overflow tank and it appeared empty. Fatal mistake I filled it to the top with water. After one drive there was water spitting out everywhere. Now I was on the slippery road downwards. Reading the forums and using youtube the obvious diagnosis was the tank was split
Went ahead, changed the tank. The engine was still overheating and water was leaking. Also, the fan didn't seem to be working. My top hose was red hot and the bottom hose was warm. Went ahead, changed the thermostat and water pump bled through and still had the same problem. Hot engine, top hose hot, bottom warm, no apparent fan running. I have read many forums and posts over the weeks but the easy resolution is to bleed to car correctly, I cannot stress this enough. I have read a lot of posts with similar issues and the simple root cause is bleeding.
My initial problem of overfilling the tank resulted in an overheat which sucked air back into the system. Right from day one If I had bled correctly, I'm 100% sure I would not have had to go through all these changes. With air in the system, the top hose is never full and the thermostat will not open. This results in the boiling of the water system creating vapor and when cooling it sucks air back in.
Bleeding, I followed every bit of advice given and watched every video. To bleed the car, raise the front end, turn the ignition on but do not start, put the blower on 1 and heat to max. Remove the bleed screw at the back of the tank. Fill the tank to the max. Squeeze the inlet and outlet heater hoses near the bulkhead, squeeze the top and bottom radiator hoses, with the tank being full you can see the air bubbles coming out. Keep topping the tank up and squeezing several times. If the bleed hole looks full of water replace the screw. Start the engine and again squeeze hoses. What I discovered and this is the important bit, if there is no air in the system when the engine is run there will be a small jet of water from the top of the overflow tank back into the main chamber. If you have no jet, the system has air. I picked this bit up from another post after a new thermostat is installed when it first opens it will squeal like a drive belt slipping. Once I heard this noise I knew the bleeding process was done right as the thermostat had opened. After you are confident you have all the air out, remove any excess water from the tank. I hope this helps someone one day, I have taken so much from the forum and felt I needed to give something back.
Went ahead, changed the tank. The engine was still overheating and water was leaking. Also, the fan didn't seem to be working. My top hose was red hot and the bottom hose was warm. Went ahead, changed the thermostat and water pump bled through and still had the same problem. Hot engine, top hose hot, bottom warm, no apparent fan running. I have read many forums and posts over the weeks but the easy resolution is to bleed to car correctly, I cannot stress this enough. I have read a lot of posts with similar issues and the simple root cause is bleeding.
My initial problem of overfilling the tank resulted in an overheat which sucked air back into the system. Right from day one If I had bled correctly, I'm 100% sure I would not have had to go through all these changes. With air in the system, the top hose is never full and the thermostat will not open. This results in the boiling of the water system creating vapor and when cooling it sucks air back in.
Bleeding, I followed every bit of advice given and watched every video. To bleed the car, raise the front end, turn the ignition on but do not start, put the blower on 1 and heat to max. Remove the bleed screw at the back of the tank. Fill the tank to the max. Squeeze the inlet and outlet heater hoses near the bulkhead, squeeze the top and bottom radiator hoses, with the tank being full you can see the air bubbles coming out. Keep topping the tank up and squeezing several times. If the bleed hole looks full of water replace the screw. Start the engine and again squeeze hoses. What I discovered and this is the important bit, if there is no air in the system when the engine is run there will be a small jet of water from the top of the overflow tank back into the main chamber. If you have no jet, the system has air. I picked this bit up from another post after a new thermostat is installed when it first opens it will squeal like a drive belt slipping. Once I heard this noise I knew the bleeding process was done right as the thermostat had opened. After you are confident you have all the air out, remove any excess water from the tank. I hope this helps someone one day, I have taken so much from the forum and felt I needed to give something back.
