Need advice on bleeding air out of cooling system

[shorepig]

1985 westy automatic

I changed out a coolant pipe (long steel one) and I'm having trouble filling the system with coolant. I've followed the Bentley procedure.

I have the front of the van up high, with both the back bleeder valve and the front rad bleeder valve open. I have the front dash heater controls in the on position and the rear heater has coolant passing through it. I can't get any coolant to show up at the rad bleeder valve. Instead, the coolant overflow container is boling over and coolant is overflowing out of this container.

My front heater blower motor is broken but hot air does pass out of the dash vents when I'm driving. Or, at least it did before I parked it to do this repair. Would a faulty front blower motor prevent the cooling system from bleeding properly?
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85 Westy
92 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x4 V6
74 Honda CB500T cafe racer
2013 ktm 690r
Sector nine pintail

[plummerdesign]

Burping the system can be done several ways. You have a lot of air in the lines, so maybe try it this way:
Get the BACK END up in the air. Open the hatch and remove the engine cover.
Unscrew the blue cap on your expansion tank.
Run the engine maybe 60 seconds while adding coolant into the tank opening. NOTE: air pockets will be pushing coolant up into the expansion tank void. The coolant will want to push back up through the expansion tank opening; so shutting off the engine will calm things down.
Once the engine is OFF the system will burp trapped air, leaving room for more coolant.
Add coolant. Your task is to replace air with coolant (trying to keep the expansion tank near full). Replace cap for a few minutes (beverage time).
.
Run the engine again to cycle the coolant and get more air to come into the void. The deal here is that the expansion tank becomes the high spot for air to collect
Repeat a time or two until you think it will only make a mess, that it is just about full. Replace the blue cap.
.
Check it tomorrow, then drive. Top off the overflow tank if it is low.
.
This system has worked well for me in times of great trouble (learned it from a mechanic at Carrera Motors in Bend) when far from home.
Cheers,
Jeffery
.
(Westfalia travel/camping videos at YouTube link below)
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It is old and green and it makes me grin.
1984 Westfalia 1.9

[FNGRUVN]

Do a search on a "Libby Bong". The best $10(if that) you'll ever spend.
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"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

[tschroeder0]

Raise rear, go to Benplace.com go to vw engine section then to bleeding the 2.1 take your time, do not drive the van until you are sure it is bled.

[joseph928]

[danfromsyr]

Libby Bong or Garden pressure sprayer
both $10 options both don't require a ballet of vehicle position or high rpms.

I prefer the garden sprayer method.. and keep my garage 'top off' antifreeze in the sprayer all times.

best of luck..
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[shorepig]

Thanks for the help guys!

I decided to massage the coolant hoses and try to work as much air as possible out of the system while constantly topping up the overflow container. I did this while the ass end was up in the air. I tipped the van front to back a few times and ran the van a few times. Took it for a drive then raised the front and burped it one final time through the rad bleeder.

All is good!
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85 Westy
92 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x4 V6
74 Honda CB500T cafe racer
2013 ktm 690r
Sector nine pintail