I Feel like a mechanic...

[bmonee5]

So today i took on the hard challenge in MY new 2000 Ford ranger 4.0 L. I changed the serpentine belt, and the thermostat. I could not believe how easy the serpentine was to change....but the thermostat was equally easy it was just messy. I spilled a whole lot of antifreeze over the front of the engine after i thought i probably drained to much from the radiator. So i parked it on a slight incline and filled the radiator with as much antifreeze as i could sqeeze in and filled the resevoir with a little more then i should have, just to make sure their were no air bubbles in the line. I was told that if their was bubbles they would burp themselves out and just steal some from the resevoir....is this correct? Is their some other way to make sure i don't have air in my radiator hoses? I checked the radiator again tonight and it was a little down so i topped it off and added more to the overfill tank. Anyways i was proud to see the temp gauge works now and felt like i would tell someone...if there is any way to make sure the air is out of my radiator any help would be greatly appriciated!!!! Thanks for reading!

 

[PaleBlue90]

when the truck is cold (has not been running) open the rad cap. let the truck idol and watch the bubbles come out, when theres no more bubbles let the truck cool down, top it off as needed and out the cap on. that will get all of your bubbles out.

 

[adsm08]

Congrats. This stuff isn't that hard, it just scares people until they get those first few steps in.

The best way I have found to get the air out of the cooling system is to run it, with the heater blowing full blast. If you can stand the heat drive it around like that for a few minutes. I've found that all the bubble should be out after about 15 minutes of constant running/driving.

The other way is to go out and buy a $150 air lift kit that you don't really need because you will use it maybe a handful of times, and I kinda doubt you have a compressor with the capacity to use it properly.

 

[bmonee5]

Ya i would say that the stuff i did wasn't to hard....but i can definately get in too deep really fast so i won't try to overstep my boundries. I still do have a slave cylinder that needs to be changed that will be done by a REAL mechanic sometime in the near future...appriciate the feedback i'll give her a try and keep an eye on my coolant.

 

[country0001]

Slave cylinder isn't too bad, as long as u have concrete, a couple of jacks and a buddy that is willing to help!

 

[adsm08]

and about 2 weeks if you are a beginner, 6 if you have to work during the day.

It really isn't that bad of a job, there is just a lot to take apart.

 

[JohnnyO]

Another way to get the air out is to put the radiator cap on halfway, then drive it around for a while. The engine heats up faster with the cap on but air will get out since it isn't all the way tight. And yeah, do that with the heater on. You don't have to turn the blower on but move the temp lever to full hot. When it cools down take the cap off, fill it and the overflow tank to the Cold line, put the cap on all the way, and check it every day for a few days.