Topic: Radiator Question!

[Pinto5.0]

What Pinto5.0 said is correct, dunno what I was thinking. My post on trapping air is correct but if you mount the core with vertical outlets he is 100% right. I'm an idiot.

'You want the flow going in the lower inlet & out the top to avoid air pockets in the core'

X2.

My ex's Villager minivan core wont bleed trapped air unless a dealer does it. I installed one of those flush/fill caps in the top hose & I use a mustard bottle filled with coolant to fill the core while running it until I have heat. Works perfectly for $10

[74 PintoWagon]

Ok I'm missing something here, if coolant flows up from the bottom how can you fill the core from the top??..

[Pinto5.0]

I put the filler in the upper hose. I run the engine up to temp then shut it off, unscrew the little fill cap, squirt coolant until the hose fills then cap it & run the engine some more. 3 to 4 repeats of that & the heater core is full. I wasn't too clear in that last post but eventually I get the air out. Dealers pressurize the water in to get the air out but I'm not paying for that.

[74 PintoWagon]

Ahhh ok gotcha, would have been a lot easier if they would have done like GM and run one of the hoses to the radiator.

[Pinto5.0]

Problem with GM is waiting for the thermostat to open before you get any heat

[74 PintoWagon]

Hmmm, I never had that problem in my dually, less than 5 minutes and I had heat long before the t-stat opened.

[Pinto5.0]

My dually's an 89. I don't get heat till the temp hits about 160

[74 PintoWagon]

Wow, both my 86's and my 73 got heat before that, strange.