You're right about the nomenclature and the valve being in the cap. There
were a few emails back and forth about that between just me and him that
probably clarified that that you didn't see... I didn't mess him up as bad
as I might have : )
Anyway, he got it bled, I don't know about the suck valve but he's happy
right now. I was too busy to go out and look (or even take the time to get
the details right) but I know what it's like to sit there waiting for an
answer when you've got somewhere to go but don't know what to do. Most of
what I know about Vanagons�and why I usually know how long stuff takes�is
that nothing ever happens to my vanagons that I don't have to leave town the
next day.

Jim

On Jan 3, 2008 3:35 PM, Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
wrote:

> How about for clarity we call the coolant bottle by the license plate the
> 'overflow bottle' ..........which is what it is, a bottle that holds what
> is
> 'overflow' from the Pressure Bottle.
> And I think you're talking about the pressure cap on the Pressure
> Bottle......( also Expansion Tank , is a pretty good descriptive term ) .
>
> Regarding the first paragraph ...............the guy sounds like a newbie,
> so let's not confuse him.
> You wrote : " The first thing you need to do is replace the one-way valve
> on
> top of your
> overflow tank. That allows low pressure in the system, which lowers the
> boiling point, and a shut-off engine can cook up enough steam to gurgle
> the
> coolant loud enough to hear inside the van, standing in front of it or
> behind it."'
>
> You make it sound like there's a valve on the top of the Pressure Bottle.
> There isn't. There's one in the cap. I'm sure you meant that valve. I call
> that the 'suck back' valve.  It goes two things.......maintains up to 14
> psi
> I think to increase the boiling point of the coolant, and sucks back
> coolant
> from the overflow bottle by the license plate.
>      Coolant should not be boiling, or gurgling after the engine is shut
> off.  I can't think of any vanagon ever, even in 100 degrees F ambient
> that
> did that when things were working correctly..   Boiling or gurgling
> indicates a problem.   Bleeding is the right thing to consider initially,
> though usually a 'need to bleed' indicates the beginning of a bigger
> issue.
>
>
> And those pressure caps are weak too.  I always have a spare or two. It's
> easy from them to not suck coolant back in from the Overflow (license
> plate
> ) bottle.
> Scott
> www.turbovans.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Jim Felder
> Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 11:00 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: air bleeding
>
> The first thing you need to do is replace the one-way valve on top of your
> overflow tank. That allows low pressure in the system, which lowers the
> boiling point, and a shut-off engine can cook up enough steam to gurgle
> the
> coolant loud enough to hear inside the van, standing in front of it or
> behind it.
> If it's not that, you probably have a leak, maybe a very small one that
> you
> just need to watch.
>
> Popping the grill needs only a flat-bladed screwdriver. You'll find five
> screw-head looking fasteners with the slots horizontal just below the
> upper
> chrome from one headlight to the other at the top of the grill. Turn these
> slots vertical and remove the grill. The bottom has four projections that
> fit into slots in the body. Notice where they are so you get them all
> lined
> up on reassembly.
>
> Fill the overflow tank. Warm the engine up, open all the heaters (front
> and
> back, if you have a back). When you think the engine is warmed up, (look
> at
> the needle) feel the top of the radiator. Is it cool? If so, there's air
> in
> it. Cool or not, put a wedge in the throttle and increase the RPM to about
> 2000 to get the water pump moving the coolant well.
>
> Then take a 13mm box wrench and remove the radiator bleed screw. If solid
> coolant comes out, replace immediately and put things back together. If
> air
> comes out, wait until solid coolant appears.
>
> Watch your coolant level in the back. If it gets low, refill per bentley.
>
> This should all take about 20 minutes. Check your one-way overflow valve
> first by blowing through it. It should only blow one way.
>
> Jim
>
> On Jan 3, 2008 12:12 PM, Matthew Snook <matt@snooksband.com> wrote:
>
> > Hello all:
> >
> > I hear a gurgling sound when I turn the rig off, and I'd like to make
> sure
> > things are up to par before I leave later today.  On an '84 1.9, what is
> > the
> > best way to bleed air from the cooling system?  This will be my first
> > time.
> > I've never even had the grill off.  How many tools will I need to buy?
> >
> > Matt
> >
>
>