dansmax2003

iTrader: (7)

I replaced the radiator hoses on my 2003 Maxima. I also did a "home flush" with a few gallons of distilled water.

My question is, when i finally fill the radiator with antifreeze ... do i need to do anything special to bleed the system OR i just close the radiator cap, run the car until hot, fill with more coolant if necessary and done??

Should i keep the radiator cap open while car is warming up so all the air can get out?
What's the best & easiest way to avoid air pockets in the cooling system?

Thank you!

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

I usually keep the cap open as it's warming up, and occasionally "burp" the upper hose since air could get caught in there. I don't remember the exact procedure, but you should pick up a Haynes manual for things like this (and other maintenance procedures)...it has a good how-to...

NisTech

running the car with cap off will work. you have to have your temp set to max heat. If you want you can raise the front wheels off the ground and stick a funnel where the rad cap used to go in so you bring up the level. ALso every 2 mins rev it to 2000 rpm

dansmax2003

iTrader: (7)

Thank you! This is exactly what i did and it worked just great. A lot of air/bubbles came out of the radiator opening and after while....they stopped coming out. I did rev the engine to 2000-2500rpm more than a few times and ran the heater at full power. This helped a lot.

I am really happy with this cooling system project. Car has ~120k miles and i did a complete manual flush (prestone radiator flush + distilled water), i replaced both radiator hoses and at the end i put fresh Prestone antifreeze. Took 3-4 hours total ...but most of it was waiting to warm up and cool off.

I was amazed that even with 120k miles on the original antifreeze, when i drained it - it looked very clean & fresh. No rusty color and no other crap came out of the system. Almost made me wonder if i needed a flush.

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

Seems that the only idiots making their cars without radiator caps are us @ GM, Ford and Mopar! It's the craziest thing I've ever seen and it's more obvious that they want to keep us from doing it or doing it correctly($$$)! So next time your working on that Maxima, enjoy the fact that no vacuum pump is neccessary when servicing your coolant system.

NisTech

you need a flush to replace lost additives added with the coolant like rust inhibitors that protect your coolant system. ALso over time coolant freezeover and boilover points might not be high enough to protect your engine.
New oem coolant is good for 160 kms around here. So if you used the same kind you should be good for a while.