Airlocks

[danielsprague]

I'm just in the later stages of a full engine rebuild, and I'm starting to worry about airlocks when I refill the cooling system. One of the most expensive parts of the rebuild was a new head, as the old one had cracked. The car has never heated up (steaming etc) or showed any signs of overheating, so unless its been there since i bought it (4 years, 80,000km ago), I think it can only have happened when the cooling system was drained and refilled when i had the timing belt replaced last December.

So the last thing I want is an airlock and a big crack in my new head. Any suggestions?

I was thinking about filling the pipes separately - into the heater matrix, into the ACSD on the injection pump, and directly into the thermostat cover. Would that prevent any airlocks?

Cheers

Daniel

[MattF]

Fill the system slowly and you'll be fine. It's rapid filling which tends to introduce airlocks.

[Dodge]

Turn the heating on to full, including the rear heater.

After you've run it top it up.