Bleeding the system like you would on a normal car is NOT enough to remove all trapped air. The following steps must be followed in order to ensure good cooling fan function.
If you just had your cooling system open, or if your engine overheated and lost coolant, you will need to top off the system and bleed out the trapped air before the car’s otterstat and cooling fans will run like they should.
Note: Your otterstat should be facing down towards the ground - if it faces upwards, it will trap a bubble of air just underneath it. Loosen the hose clamps and rotate the otterstat pipe so it faces the correct direction if needed, then retighten.
What you will need:
Regular 50/50 green coolant as needed, total system capacity is around 3 gallons.
CAUTION: NEVER OPEN A COOLING SYSTEM WHILE HOT OR INJURY CAN OCCUR
Steps:
With the car off and the coolant cold, remove the coolant reservoir cap and fill the header bottle about 3/4 full (about to where you can just touch the coolant with the tip of your finger).
Crack open the bleed screw on the thermostat housing, and leave it open until the air is expelled, then retighten.
Move to the front of the car and momentarily pull the bleed hose from the top right corner of the radiator until all air has been expelled, then quickly push the hose back on and retighten the clamp. Note: this step can be messy, so have a catch pan underneath your work area.
Give the large water pump hoses a squeeze between rounds to move any air trapped in them.
Repeat the above four steps at least once more until no more air is found.
After checking the level in the header bottle one last time and topping off if needed, reinstall the coolant reservoir cap.
Start the car, making sure the AC is switched off, and monitor your coolant temp gauge carefully. STAY WITH THE CAR AT ALL TIMES WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. Normal system operation should see the cooling fans come on as the needle on the temp gauge begins to approach the 220 mark, and then switch off again as the needle approaches the next lowest mark (no temp marking present). The needle should basically ride between these two points while the car is at operating temperature. If the needle reaches 220 before the fans come on, shut the engine off, let it cool and run through the bleed process again. Do not let the temp exceed an indicated 220 or engine damage can occur.
Allow the cooling fans to cycle on and off two to three times to ensure the system is fully bled and the otterstat and fans are functioning properly. Check around the car while monitoring the temperature and fan operation to make sure no coolant leaks are present.
Trouble logging in? Simply enter your email address OR username in order to reset your password.
For faster and more reliable delivery, add example@example.com to your trusted senders list in your email software.
A code was sent to the recovery email address. Please provide the 6-digit code.
A code can be retrieved from your authentication app. Please provide the 6-digit code.
An email was sent to your recovery email address. If you need further assistance, please contact your system admin.