Ken,

It's my understanding the purpose of the bleeder valve in the engine
compartment is more to allow coolant to bypass a closed thermostat than
to bleed air from the system. If you don't open this valve you'll have
trouble filling the system with coolant (no coolant will flow to
radiator until thermostat opens).

Mark McCulley

>Date:         Fri, 15 Jan 1999 06:38:42 EST
>Reply-To:     kenneth d lewis <kdlewis@JUNO.COM>
>From:         kenneth d lewis <kdlewis@JUNO.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Bleeding Cooling system per Bentley
>To:           vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>
>Jim;
>Great response!  Allow me to add one detail that befuddled me the first
>time. I was expecting the bleeder valve in the engine compartment to
>bubble out to the atmosphere. Instead it purges bubbles to the
expansion
>tank via the small hose. This may seem obvious to some but I thought it
>was stopped up and removed the whole thing for inspection.
>Drive Safely & Good Luck
>Ken Lewis<Kernersville,NC>86 VW crewcab;60 T-5 Coupe

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