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Air in Coolant

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by kenopa, Dec 13, 2009.

  1. kenopa

    kenopa Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Had the dealer change out the coolant last week (it's just too cold for these old bones to get under and do it myself) and now have some gurgling sounds coming from heater core indicating I have some air left in system. Have run vehicle, checked and topped off coolant couple times but still present (faintly). Have a few questions: (1) Will the system eventually bleed off the air itself and is it OK for me to stop trying and let laws of physics take over? (2) Following the "book", I'm supposed to put the vehicle in Inspection Mode (the gearshift-accelerator dance)? Isn't that simply to keep the ICE running constantly, or is it more than that? (3) Is there a better procedure than the run/cool off/check/refill/repeat routine?
     
  2. mike lipke

    mike lipke New Member

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    1. It may, but sometimes it won't.
    2. Not more than that for this procedure. It does shut off the Trac mode if you have just got to spin the wheels a little for some reason.
    3. Yes. Take off the black plastic cover over the radiator. On the right (driver's) side of the steel piece over the radiator, you will find a hole. Steel piece is same color as the car, is about 2" wide, 3' long, and is forward of the radiator fill cap and expansion tank. Look down the hole with a flashlight, and you will see a 6mm hex receptacle that will accept an allen wrench. That socket is in a small bleeder bolt. Make sure the cooling system is not hot, and loosen that bleeder. You do NOT have to remove it, just loosen it a turn or two. Now you can add coolant to the radiator cap, which you can access now that the black cover is removed. Keep adding the correct coolant until you see it leaking from the bleeder.
    You are done, except for reassembly.

    The hole you are looking for is not obvious, but mine has a sticker next to it that says to never loosen it while coolant is hot. If you see the sticker, you are close.
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I do not think that the Classic radiator has a bleed valve.

    I'd suggest that you continue to work at it until you don't hear air in the heater core. First make sure that the radiator and overflow container are at the full mark. Invoke inspection mode to run the engine. Set the cabin temp to MAX HEAT and turn the fan on to high speed. Rev up to 2,500 rpm repeatedly. (Don't worry about making your mpg average worse.)

    Work on this for around 10 minutes, hopefully there's an improvement.

    Then turn off the engine. After the car cools down, check the radiator and the overflow container and fill both. Repeat until you don't hear the sound anymore.