Yes,
The pressure cap has to be installed before allowing the engine speed to
return to idle. Also note, that if the engine is hot while bleeding, it
took too long. Once the water starts to vaporize, you will never get all
the air out. Also, there is no reason or benefit to raising the front.
In fact it makes things more difficult as the pump has to push harder to
raise the water higher.  If the pressure cap doesn't hold the coolant
back, it is bad. Also note the cap should be replaced or at least tested
anytime the system is overheated or experiences any pressure related
failure.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
Of David Maurio
Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2003 6:01 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Coolant leak questions

Since I put the tach in I ran a couple of tests on my coolant leak
problem.

I followed the Bentley instructions, parked the van on an incline, front
of
van about 4" higher than back.  Opened the front bleeder valve and the
rear
bleeder valve, ran the van at 2000 rpm until coolant started flowing
freely
from front.  Closed front valve, waited about 10 minutes and still
nothing
from rear bleeder valve, (both coolant hoses below the van were hot, and
so
was the hose that the rear bleeder valve is on) so I removed my penny
from
the throttle and let it go back to idle, as soon as it went down from
2000rpm I watched the coolant level in the expansion tank start to
skyrocket! Still nothing from the rear bleeder valve.  It started
overflowing from the top of the expansion tank, there's a little nubbin
at
the very top of the expansion tank which I suspect is a vent, and that's
where the coolant leak is coming from.  This all happened within about a
minute of dropping the rpm's from 2k to idle...  The coolant was
bubbling as
I watched it rush back into the coolant tank.

Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanks,
David / NJ
85 Wolfsberg Westy "Beatrix"
http://home.comcast.net/~maurio11/index.htm