Bleeding the coolant in my TZD...

simonineaston · Post by **simonineaston** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:07 pm

I know we've been here before, folks and once more Thanx for all your various contributions, but may I ask one more Q just to put me at my ease?
I have recently done a lot of work on my TZD, including changing the belt. During the course of all the work, I drained and removed the rad. and so of course I had to fill up with new coolant and then bleed the system. I read a lot of your posts and did the best job I could, including making an extension for the header tank to get an extra foot or so of head. The only bleed points I can find are 1) a single screw in the thermostat housing, on the block side, and 2) the plastic removable insert at top right of the rad..
The only trouble is that now I've used that extra foot of height to bleed coolant through these 2 points, I'm left with a full header tank. Advice from everyone concerned is that the header tank should be filled only up to the half-way mark - my Q today is: How do the folk who use this method get the extra coolant out of the header tank???

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:26 pm

Bit messy - but just drive the car and the surplus will come out of the little hole in the neck as the engine warms up.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:05 pm

Jeremy I bow to your vastly superior knowledge but is there a chance the extra water would cause pressurisation and possible blown gaskets etc?
I only mention this because I remember someone telling me years back never to drive with too much water in the system.

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:14 pm

One way to get it out is a absorbant cloth or such like, keep sticking it in, ringing it out etc, dont use a paper towel incase it breaks up and gets clogged, or use a plastic bottle, squueze it together, stick the neck in the header, then try and unsqueeze it, the vacumm may suck some watre up into the bottle.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:59 pm

Billy there is no risk of excess water blowing gaskets etc. The radiator cap is sprung and designed to limit the pressure (to about 15 psi) so as to avoid damage - that's why its so complicated with the centre plunger rather than a simple screw or bayonet cap like a (non-locking) fuel cap. In fact it blows off and lets surplus pressure quite frequently during normal running.

If you want to remove water - get a 9 inch length of garden hose, stick it in the tank, put your finger over the end and lift it out keeping your finger over the end - then release somewhere convenient. - keep on doing it till the level is correct.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:58 pm

Cheers Jeremy, you learn something every day and I didn't know that.