Replacing radiator without bleeding

[Anonymous]

AS LONG AS ALL COOLANT HASN'T BEEN LOST

As there doesn't seem to be any "How To" on this I thought I would do the obligatory picture record of how I did it

My expansion bottle level has always gone up and down like a yo-yo but over the last few days I have needed to top it up, not a great amount but nothing that worried me............Until I took the front plastics and scuttle out to make the AC valve access easier for the garage when it went for MOT & AC re-gas, that's when I saw the small leak on the bottom corner   s:? :? s:?  

After searching around and asking questions I decided to get this fleabay one.................... CLICKY

After removing the front plastic cover and scuttle you are left with this...................
Undo the nuts & bolts (White arrows) and remove the four brackets

Disconnect the two plugs (Red arrows) and remove loom from securing clip on cowl

The fan assembly will then just lift out.

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Not a pretty sight

A great tip from Loadswine (Nige) was to clamp off the hoses, I did this with four pieces of wood and two small "G" clamps (Looks like "Civic")

Not a drop leaking out

The radiator will now lift out

A bit corroded....

Take these nuts out of the old radiator and fit to the new

You can also screw in the bottom drain tap (after replacing the "O" ring)

Dropped in and ready to assemble parts

 

I connected the two hoses using Jubilee clips instead of the stupid spring type DON'T UNDO THE TWO CLAMPS ON THE HOSES YET

Here's the bit where I didn't need to bleed the system............

I had an old weed killer bottle that pressurised and filled it with my antifreeze mixture.......Put the pipe into the top bleed hole.......Pumped it up and filled the system.

After replacing the bleed tap you can remove the two clamps on the hoses.........Fit the fan assembly......Fit the four retaining clamps back on and connect the two plugs.....Start up and check for leaks

If all is well replace scuttle & plastics........Job done   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  

[shnazzle]

So basically you clamped off the hose, replaced, put hoses (still clamped) back on and you pumped coolant into the radiator through the bleed valve using the resolva thing?
Did you keep pumping until it came out the other bleed valve? When did you know it was full? In this case I would expect you to pump in from the bottom right until it came out the top left bleed nipple

[Anonymous]

So basically you clamped off the hose, replaced, put hoses (still clamped) back on and you pumped coolant into the radiator through the bleed valve using the resolva thing?
Did you keep pumping until it came out the other bleed valve? When did you know it was full? In this case I would expect you to pump in from the bottom right until it came out the top left bleed nipple

You can also screw in the bottom drain tap (after replacing the "O" ring)

Put the pipe into the top bleed hole.......Pumped it up and filled the system.

After replacing the bleed tap you can remove the two clamps on the hoses

s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[shnazzle]

Ok going to be thick here....how do you know it's full? And if the bottom bleed valve is closed...where does the air in the radiator go that you displace by putting coolant in?

This has obviously worked for you but I can't for the life of me figure out how!  s:) s:)

Close bottom tap and attach hose to top. So I'm assuming you primed the tube from the pressurised canister so that you're not pumping a tube-full of air in.
Now start pumping in fluid...But the system is now air-tight. Pipes are blocked and bleed valves too. So where's the air going?! AAhHhhhh!

[Anonymous]

The hose sits in the top bleed hole with space for air to pass, when it starts to pee out, put the bleed plug in, wait a couple of minutes and give it a bit more in case there is any air trapped. (didn't need to as it was full anyhoo) any air left will be negligible, I let it tick over till the temperature came up, went out for a blast and all is good   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

[shnazzle]

The hose sits in the top bleed hole with space for air to pass, when it starts to pee out, put the bleed plug in, wait a couple of minutes and give it a bit more in case there is any air trapped. (didn't need to as it was full anyhoo) any air left will be negligible, I let it tick over till the temperature came up, went out for a blast and all is good   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

oohhh I see. So the tube doesn't actually attach to the bleed nipple, but just into where the bleed tap goes.
Smart man. See you did not explain this  s:) s:)  I would have just connected it to the bleed nipple on the top. Granted that would also work I suppose if you left the tap out for air to come out of that side.

[Anonymous]

The hose sits in the top bleed hole with space for air to pass, when it starts to pee out, put the bleed plug in, wait a couple of minutes and give it a bit more in case there is any air trapped. (didn't need to as it was full anyhoo) any air left will be negligible, I let it tick over till the temperature came up, went out for a blast and all is good   s:wink: :wink: s:wink:

oohhh I see. So the tube doesn't actually attach to the bleed nipple, but just into where the bleed tap goes.
Smart man. See you did not explain this  s:) s:)  I would have just connected it to the bleed nipple on the top. Granted that would also work I suppose if you left the tap out for air to come out of that side.

It's actually a tap like the drain plug (You can see it on the front)

[shnazzle]

It's actually a tap like the drain plug (You can see it on the front)

Ja I got it.
Sadly quite familiar with it. Me and those tap screws are not friends. Particularly as the supplied o-rings don't seal properly  s:( s:(  
Had to do the filling and bleeding twice because of this...which would have been a lot quicker had I known this method  s:) s:)

[Grubber]

Thanks for this les.. I'll be doing it this way on the weekend  s:) s:)

[mrzwei]

In this fast moving, high tec age of nothing can be fixed unless you put a code reader on it and get a code, four bits of wood, two 'G' clamps and a garden thing!
Brilliant!

Never lose the hammer from the tool kit   s:D s:D

[markyp]

Great write up Les.....  s:D s:D  ...I did my radiator this way about 1000 miles ago, and its been problem free since.  s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:

[spit]

Good ole' Les.

Just to add to this, I adapted Les's approach slightly to carry out a full system refill without any grief or spillage. If your '2 is like mine and inexplicably holds onto massive airlocks using all other methods, this works a treat and can be done cold.

It was pretty much the only option - my airlocks are so severe that absolutely nothing gets forward of the engine and it chooses to overheat rather than bleed itself.

Aside from a cheap old 5litre pressure sprayer, the only other non-car thing required is a healthy wrap of PTFE tape on the radiator bleed tap thread so that it works like a tap should instead of piddling on your fingers!

1. Unscrew the plastic spray fitting from the end of the sprayer lance and connect the lance to the radiator bleed point using one of your transparent bleed pipes - its a perfect fit.
2. Fit your second bleed pipe to the heater matrix tap and hang it from the frunk lid in the usual way - this acts as your visual aid when filling.
3. Open both taps exactly 2 full turns and take the cap off the expansion bottle at the back end. If you fancy it, pre-fill the system via the expansion bottle - you'll still have plenty of air to drive out!
4. Fill the sprayer with your favourite coolant and pump/squirt until you see a head of coolant appearing up the heater pipe. The expansion bottle should be filling to roughly the same height.
(for reference, I managed to get a full 5 litres in, even after a pre-fill via the expansion bottle!)
5. Give your hoses a squeeze at the rad, heater and bottom of the front bulkhead. They should now have just the feintest of air noise in them. If not, you'll likely see the coolant level in the reference pipe drop back a bit as a few bubbles escape. Keep squirting!
6. When you've got a healthy level of coolant in the pipe and the expansion bottle, you're ready to seal the system and run the engine. Once hot, the front taps can be opened to bleed out any remaining air that has been caught. The pressure in the system will do this for you.
7. From here, you're good to go. If the bottle 'hot' level is too high for you, decant a bit more off through one of the hoses before packing them away.

Once you're up and running, don't forget the occasional check or top-up as necessary.

Hope this helps those of us with non-cooperative '2s

[shnazzle]

Nice one Ste

[ilovejapcrap]

Or if you work in the water / gas trade and clamp pipes regular :

 m http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pipe-Squeeze-Of ... Ciid%253A1 m

[Bossworld]

I still need to replace my radiator and change the coolant, posting to bookmark the thread but sounds a pain in the backside

[shnazzle]

If you've done the brakes, this is a doddle.

[spit]

If you've done the brakes, this is a doddle.

Very true.

Some '2s are more bleed friendly than others, for reasons unknown. If you're clamping off hoses you should retain enough coolant in the system to get it circulating once the engine is warm and the system is pressurised. I opted for a full drain - the coolant had been in there for 10 yrs and the rad was grafting for 180k miles before it gave up. Nice to see no sludge though.

The beauty of doing a pressurised fill from the front is that its calm, controlled and visual. You're not waiting to get to operating temps and wondering whats going on with your pipes, pump and thermostat in the meantime. In my case it was a sensible option as I was overheating with a full bottle and had no circulation to the front to cool things down.

[Bossworld]

I'm going to be doing a full coolant change as well, just need to find the time to do it!  s:) s:)

[Justin.D]

Good ole' Les.

Just to add to this, I adapted Les's approach slightly to carry out a full system refill without any grief or spillage. If your '2 is like mine and inexplicably holds onto massive airlocks using all other methods, this works a treat and can be done cold.

It was pretty much the only option - my airlocks are so severe that absolutely nothing gets forward of the engine and it chooses to overheat rather than bleed itself.

Aside from a cheap old 5litre pressure sprayer, the only other non-car thing required is a healthy wrap of PTFE tape on the radiator bleed tap thread so that it works like a tap should instead of piddling on your fingers!

1. Unscrew the plastic spray fitting from the end of the sprayer lance and connect the lance to the radiator bleed point using one of your transparent bleed pipes - its a perfect fit.
2. Fit your second bleed pipe to the heater matrix tap and hang it from the frunk lid in the usual way - this acts as your visual aid when filling.
3. Open both taps exactly 2 full turns and take the cap off the expansion bottle at the back end. If you fancy it, pre-fill the system via the expansion bottle - you'll still have plenty of air to drive out!
4. Fill the sprayer with your favourite coolant and pump/squirt until you see a head of coolant appearing up the heater pipe. The expansion bottle should be filling to roughly the same height.
(for reference, I managed to get a full 5 litres in, even after a pre-fill via the expansion bottle!)
5. Give your hoses a squeeze at the rad, heater and bottom of the front bulkhead. They should now have just the feintest of air noise in them. If not, you'll likely see the coolant level in the reference pipe drop back a bit as a few bubbles escape. Keep squirting!
6. When you've got a healthy level of coolant in the pipe and the expansion bottle, you're ready to seal the system and run the engine. Once hot, the front taps can be opened to bleed out any remaining air that has been caught. The pressure in the system will do this for you.
7. From here, you're good to go. If the bottle 'hot' level is too high for you, decant a bit more off through one of the hoses before packing them away.

Once you're up and running, don't forget the occasional check or top-up as necessary.

Hope this helps those of us with non-cooperative '2s

Would this work (or something similar) to just purge the air from the system? I don't fancy going down the empty/refill option just yet. Mine as one of those which just won't shift the air with the normal bleeding methods

I'm thinking this might work but with my extremely limited knowledge I want to be sure

[cptspaulding]

Aaaargh!

Part way through this & looking for the how to. Found this but pics missing.

Are the pics still available somewhere?

[moredun]

I did something similar to this last year when I went to change my radiator, only to find the radiator hoses very soft and the rubber radiator mountings barely existed. As I was replacing the hoses, I decided to flush the system. My solution to bleeding the system was ...

1)   Jack up front of car (it helps air reach highest point)
2)   Open bleed nipple at bulkhead
3)   Add coolant from radiator until new coolant flows from bleed nipple, close bleed nipple.
4)   Add coolant from expansion bottle until coolant level with radiator cap. Replace cap.
5)   Start engine and add coolant to expansion bottle as required, when level stable, replace cap.

With engine running, turn on blower full blast with heat setting to high. With engine at running temperature you should have hot air from blower, if it's a bit on the cool side, then rev engine a bit till temperature comes up. Check and add coolant to expansion bottle if required, job done and no drama