Malcome is correct.
There are many ways to bleed a Vanagon.
I have raised the front for many years and can bleed a van off quickly.
I now fill with a SnapOn system that pushes the coolant mixture into the system and doesn't need to be bleed like I have done in previous years.
There are many writeups on how to make a power filler floating around.

BTW, I have numerous stock Vanagons that bleed themselves.
When the system is tight and you fill to the top of the expansion tank, you have most of the air out.
They pull from the overflow tank and bleed out the excess air during the next three heat cycles.
These vans are pristine and show it mechanically by this and other easy maintaining.

If you don't have the same happening, you have areas allowing air in or air is trapped in tightly bent lines creating cavitation and distributing the remaining air bubbles making the bleed difficult.

With this said a leakdown test will rule out weeping or leaking internal head gaskets.
It is very common for that issue to cause difficulty bleeding a waterboxer.

dylan

________________________________
From: Malcolm Stebbins <mwstebbins@YAHOO.COM>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2009 9:10:57 AM
Subject: Re: flashing LED

--- On Wed, 9/9/09, Warren Lail <wklail@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

From: Warren Lail <wklail@GMAIL.COM>

The only way to really bleed the WBX is to either raise the front end
with a floor jack (pretty high in the air - be careful) or to park on
a steep hill and bleed it while on the incline.
======================================================

This is just not true = urban legend.� IMHO�� 

In� a shop, this may be ONE way, as the driver/owner may not want to fiddle with the van after leaving the shop.� But there are other ways to bleed the system and if one searches the archives, there are many suggested ways, including "my way";� 

http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0203C&L=vanagon&P=R28247

M