Rick, you should try bleeding it at the radiator just to see what happens
but it shouldn't be needed.  The 2.1l cooling system actually self bleeds
over time so as long as you keep an eye on your coolant level in the
expansion tank (the one that you have to open the engine bay lid to see to
the left), then it should eventually bleed itself over the course of a
couple of days.  There is a bleeder screw on the top of the thermostat
housing cover that you can open, but only do this for a few days at most as
it will keep your coolant from getting hot enough for the heater to work
properly.  Also if the system is mostly free of air, another way to tell is
if your front heater is working properly.  It is at high spot in the system
and if there is air in the system it won't put out much heat.  If the
system is bled then it will put out loads of heat.

Let us know what you find out.

Ken

On Fri, Feb 12, 2016 at 7:12 PM, Rick Cooper <rickdcooper@gmail.com> wrote:

> Two days ago I replaced the big coolant pipe that runs along the LH side of
> the engine (from pump to thermostat area) since it had rust bubbles
> happening.  Put on a nice shiny stainless steel one from Frank Condelli (
>
> http://www.frankcondelli.com/staging1/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=61_93_95&product_id=367
> ).
>    At the same time I put in a new thermostat rated for 87 degrees C,
> though I'm not sure why -- guess I was tired of a lousy heater.
>
> Yesterday I did a 100 mile journey and the temp gauge stayed around the 3/4
> to 7/8 position, maybe a needle's width from the high end of the gauge.
> This seems high, from what I've read here.  I'm wondering whether I've bled
> all the air out of the cooling system and it is running inefficiently.  I
> lost about a gallon of coolant in replacing the pipe and think I've
> replaced about that much.  I also topped up the reservoir a couple times
> after warming up the engine.  This morning (day after my journey), the
> reservoir was down a couple of inches so I've topped it up again.
>
> But I've read here about raising the front of the vehicle and removing a
> bleeder cap on the rad.  Should I do that and add coolant there?
>
> Thanks, Rick
>

--
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
www.vanagain.com