2008 Equinox overheating issue at idle - sucking air?
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2008 Equinox overheating issue at idle - sucking air?
Hello everybody,
I just replaced the head gaskets on my 2008 equinox 3.4L, it runs great, no issues there. however I seem to be having a hard time getting all the air out. blows hot air in the heater, so thats good. I am aware of the bleeder screw above the water pump, and opened that to let the air out until coolant flowed out. but after driving it and then letting it idle, it then continues to overheat, and when i check that bleeder, there is more air there. i have repeated this process multiple times, and have added about an additional gallon of coolant above what I originally filled it with when i finished the job (which was between 1-2 gallons), and still there is always air at that bleeder screw every time i check after the temp rises.
are there any other tricks to bleeding the air out of these? or is this a process that just needs to be repeated continually until its done? any step-by-step procedures others follow to successfully bleed them properly/quicker? Is there any possible way that it could be sucking air into the system somehow? I have never head of that, and would think that I would notice coolant leaks before air got sucked in - but no leaks. and if air was coming from a cylinder, I would have a bad miss and or burning coolant as well, but none of that.
Thanks for all the help/advice!
I just replaced the head gaskets on my 2008 equinox 3.4L, it runs great, no issues there. however I seem to be having a hard time getting all the air out. blows hot air in the heater, so thats good. I am aware of the bleeder screw above the water pump, and opened that to let the air out until coolant flowed out. but after driving it and then letting it idle, it then continues to overheat, and when i check that bleeder, there is more air there. i have repeated this process multiple times, and have added about an additional gallon of coolant above what I originally filled it with when i finished the job (which was between 1-2 gallons), and still there is always air at that bleeder screw every time i check after the temp rises.
are there any other tricks to bleeding the air out of these? or is this a process that just needs to be repeated continually until its done? any step-by-step procedures others follow to successfully bleed them properly/quicker? Is there any possible way that it could be sucking air into the system somehow? I have never head of that, and would think that I would notice coolant leaks before air got sucked in - but no leaks. and if air was coming from a cylinder, I would have a bad miss and or burning coolant as well, but none of that.
Thanks for all the help/advice!
CF Pro Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 981
Likes: 83
Hello everybody,
I just replaced the head gaskets on my 2008 equinox 3.4L, it runs great, no issues there. however I seem to be having a hard time getting all the air out. blows hot air in the heater, so thats good. I am aware of the bleeder screw above the water pump, and opened that to let the air out until coolant flowed out. but after driving it and then letting it idle, it then continues to overheat, and when i check that bleeder, there is more air there. i have repeated this process multiple times, and have added about an additional gallon of coolant above what I originally filled it with when i finished the job (which was between 1-2 gallons), and still there is always air at that bleeder screw every time i check after the temp rises.
are there any other tricks to bleeding the air out of these? or is this a process that just needs to be repeated continually until its done? any step-by-step procedures others follow to successfully bleed them properly/quicker? Is there any possible way that it could be sucking air into the system somehow? I have never head of that, and would think that I would notice coolant leaks before air got sucked in - but no leaks. and if air was coming from a cylinder, I would have a bad miss and or burning coolant as well, but none of that.
Thanks for all the help/advice!
I just replaced the head gaskets on my 2008 equinox 3.4L, it runs great, no issues there. however I seem to be having a hard time getting all the air out. blows hot air in the heater, so thats good. I am aware of the bleeder screw above the water pump, and opened that to let the air out until coolant flowed out. but after driving it and then letting it idle, it then continues to overheat, and when i check that bleeder, there is more air there. i have repeated this process multiple times, and have added about an additional gallon of coolant above what I originally filled it with when i finished the job (which was between 1-2 gallons), and still there is always air at that bleeder screw every time i check after the temp rises.
are there any other tricks to bleeding the air out of these? or is this a process that just needs to be repeated continually until its done? any step-by-step procedures others follow to successfully bleed them properly/quicker? Is there any possible way that it could be sucking air into the system somehow? I have never head of that, and would think that I would notice coolant leaks before air got sucked in - but no leaks. and if air was coming from a cylinder, I would have a bad miss and or burning coolant as well, but none of that.
Thanks for all the help/advice!
CF Pro Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 981
Likes: 83
CF Pro Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 981
Likes: 83
There's only one bleeder on top of the water pump tower on the 3.4L in the 2005-2009 Equinox/Torrent. It's different than the 3.4L used in older GM models which had two bleeders like you mentioned.
Last edited by ruley73; Aug 18, 2020 at 6:45 PM.
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CF Pro Member
Joined: Sep 2010
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I've owned and maintained our 2007 Equinox since 2008. The factory service manual could be wrong, but it only mentions one bleeder screw atop the water pump tower. That's the only one I've seen. Where is the second one you found? Can you post a picture?