Maybe it's just me, but I've used that bleed screw a total of about 6
times in the 7 years of owning my 86.  That's about 3 times for each
coolant replacement I've done.  Once it's bled, it stays bled on my
van...  YMMV.

Edward

At 08:57 AM 10/20/2007, Don Hanson wrote:
>Get a peice of hard tubing that is slightly smaller than the I.D. of the
>radiator air bleed bolt hole.  Available in the Northwest at True Value
>Hardware or other sources.  Bend it into an S-shape.  Attach a funnel type
>device and pour some coolant into the device with the hard tubing inside the
>treaded hole where the air bleed screw sits..  The S-curve in the hard
>tubing between the funnel and the end of the tubing will support the funnel
>device.  I do this when the motor is off, usually after driving my van and
>with the nose up a bit.  It would probably be smart to turn on your heaters
>as you approach your 'bleeding-site"...
>    Pour about a cup of coolant into the funnel and watch the air come
>bubbling out of the rad.  Repeat.  When you get a solid stream of liquid,
>you are done (for this time)..I do this drill a few times, until I get no
>more bubbling when I add coolant.  I keep my dorky-device in the van for
>road emergencies and I usually do a "pre-trip" air-bleed procedure.  Takes
>me about 2 mins to remove/bleed/replace.
>   Wonder why VW made the bleed screw so hard to get to when it gets used so
>often and can be the cause of so many problems with a Vanagon..
>   Don Hanson