Joel

    This is a sign of air in the cooling system. Mine was caused by  a leaky
head gasket. After replacing them I got all the air out the first time using
the procedure you discribed.
    The little black knob, at least on my 84 gl, bleeds the engine block.
Clockwise is closed.

Joe

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joel Sell" <jsell@PHILA.K12.PA.US>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 11:48 PM
Subject: slow overheating after flush and bleeding

> I flushed and bled my cooling system today. 2000 RPMs, bleeder open, front
> end up, closed bleeder when there were no bubbles. Took it for a drive to
> get it hot and the temps stayed low. Figured everything was alright. Then
> went out with wife and child and sat in rush hour traffic. Slowly the
temps
> started to rise until the red light was flashing. Turned on the front and
> rear heat full blast and the temps went down. Drove home. *After* I turned
> the key off and was unloading my child, the radiator fan turned ON for
> about a minute. I don't think it went on at all while we were driving.
> What is going on?  Is this a symptom of something? I know nothing was
> clogged before because before I flushed and bled the system I drove it a
> good hundred and fifty miles or so, half of that in traffic.
> Did I not get out all of the air?
> What is that little black knob that the service manual tells you to turn
> one way when you bleed it? What does that do? I remember it being
> already*open* when I went to bleed the system. Which way should it be? All
> the way clockwise or all the way counterclockwise?
> Oh yeah, it's a '91 Carat, 2wd, automatic (if that helps).
> Thanks,
> Joel
>