# 95 Villager air bubble in cooling system



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Sounds about right. Fill the overflow halfway.


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## paintdrying (Jul 13, 2012)

i drive up on one ramp so the radiator fill cap is at the highest point then run it with the cap off. it should burp out. Some cars have very specific bleeding methods that are a bear.


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## Bigplanz (Apr 10, 2009)

This van has very specific air bleeding procedures. I will post pictures when i bleed the system.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

This is for 93, may be helpful

http://abra.homestead.com/villager2.html

They did make it complicated, didn't they?


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## Bigplanz (Apr 10, 2009)

I used a lisle no spill funnel to burp it. I ran a piece of quarter in i.d. heater hose from the heater vent fitting to the funnel. Some previous owner had left a short piece of hose when it was last vented. Great, except they plugged the hose with a three inch bolt. A real pain to get off.

So i burped it and lots of bubbles. Van heater was blowing hot even at idle. Problem is that the next day after full cool down, heat is tepid still. Cool at idle, warm but not hot under load. Grumble.

Oh, i had the front end elevated on ramps.

Attached are some pix.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

You have air leak into the system somewhere. Maybe coolant cools down, shrinks, and air gets back in via expansion canister hose. Maybe you have exhaust blow by into the cooling system, artificially causing air bubbles inside.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

Btw, people told you that you are supposed to use bleeder valve. Right? You did that, right?


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## Bigplanz (Apr 10, 2009)

ukrkoz said:


> Btw, people told you that you are supposed to use bleeder valve. Right? You did that, right?


Do you mean the bleeder bolt on top of the engine? If so, yes I took it off and put it back on when coolant came out.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

Well, link I sent you - did you check it out? You have TWO areas that must be bled, one possibly backleaking air into the system

_*1st* *If air gets into the coolant system* it must be bled. The plastic plug on the left side of the radiator must be backed out until coolant drips out then closed tightly._

I am safely presuming, there is some sort of a gasket or washer sealing that plug and if it went bad....


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

http://home.earthlink.net/~vqfaq/index.htm


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Is the thermostat or fan clutch bad? 

Some thermostats will fail open and in the winter months, you won't get the engine up to temp.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

Windows, his issue is not sticky t-stat, it's that his system gets aired again. So it's either leaking air into it from outside, or air is getting into from the inside, past head gasket.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

You blowing white smoke out of exhaust? 
Buy, borrow or rent a violent pressure pump and pressurize the system and see if it holds. If pressure holds then you have an air pocket if it doesn't you have a leak.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

Darn auto type..,, coolant pump not violent pump. Reason I asked about smoke is that's common when head gasket is bad and coolant is leaking into a cylinder. 

Some thermostats are also hard to bleed. Take stat out and fill level to hole. Drop stat in seal it up, jack car do fill is the highest point and top it off run car while up. 

Some cars have a little bleed hole in the stat if your doesn't an old fix is to drill one in for the really pesky ones. Good luck


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

Ol, violent sounded much better. I already started Googling it, it sounded so cool.


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## Bigplanz (Apr 10, 2009)

T-stat was replaced and leaking heater hose as well. White exhaust @3K RPM is pretty heavy. Temp guage w/new t-stat is rock solid. Always between the R and M in the "normal" range. T-stat has a built in "jiggle valve" to vent air. Here are pix from when I replaced the T-stat.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Good update.

Do not put that radiator stop leak stuff in there. Doesn't work in my opinion.

If the head gasket is going, it will continue to do so and you will be stuck fixing it or putting in a new motor at some point. 

Keep an eye on the oil and make sure you aren't making a milkshake.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

Oops... White SMOKE, aye? You DO have exhaust backleak into the system. Likely that's what's aerating it continuously. Does exhaust smell of coolant? 
Anyhow. The way I check on it, is to pop radiator cap open, start the engine, and let it run till t-stat opens. If you see beer foam type stuff coming into radiator, you got it.


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## Bigplanz (Apr 10, 2009)

The t-stat has a "jiggle valve". I oriented it "up," as per shop manual. No visible leaks. After 100 miles, i let it cool overnight and opened the radiator. I could only add about 8 oz.

Exhaust is white but no more so than any other car I' ve driven. Temp guage is rock solid. Engine performance fine. Oil looks clean on dipstick.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

White steam is normal, white smoke with sugar sweet smell is coolant getting into cylinder through failed head gasket. Sounds like you re on the right track though. Have u run it with the cap off? Take the cap off, run engineer from cold and keep your hand on the upper radiator hose. You will be able to feel when the stat opens an see fluid cycling through it in fill hole. Once cycles top it off, close it up an you are done. Just keep an eye on temp. 

You wouldn't have it at home but in the garage another way to tell if you have a bad head gasket is to take the exhaust gas sniffer and pick up readings at the radiator fill hole. No reading us good, any reading mean bad head.


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## Olcrazy1 (May 28, 2013)

I know tough to distinguish between normal white steam and white smoke from burning coolant. Guess it depends on where you are located an outside temp. During winter cold hit steam type smoke is pretty normal. During hotter temps normally it's not. To the experienced mechanical it's easier to tell, most can smell the difference. Anyhow, good luck, as long as temp is ok and oil is clean just keep an eye on it.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-do-when-your-engine-overheats?start=1#HeadGasketIssues


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