5.7L in Express van - need to bleed air from cooling system ?
 

I've been searching for this info on this site and on the Web in general to no avail. Hope someone can answer my question.

I have a Roadtrek class B motorhome built on a 1999 Chevy Express Cutaway chassis. It has the 5.7L Vortec engine.

When I refill the cooling system following a drain and fill, do I have to bleed the system to get any trapped air out? To me the radiator cap seems to be the high point of the system and I can't see a bleed screw on the thermostat housing. I want to be sure that no air gets trapped in there ... especially with Dexcool!

Thanks

i bleed it by turning the car on with the radiator cap off and the heater on high
keep filling the rad. up as the bubbles come out

cap it when the water level starts rising

SnlpeR,

Your reply made me realize that I should have described the steps I already go through, which are like yours.

I fill the radiator and turn on the engine. As it is warming up, I see air bubbles in the coolant and I add coolant if the level drops. Once the thermostat opens (hot upper radiator hose and coolant), I make sure the radiator is topped off and screw on the cap. I add coolant to the recovery tank and check the recovery tank regularly for the next few days.

I was wondering if, in spite of these steps, air could still be trapped somewhere in the system. The Haynes manual says to open the bleed valve if it has one ... but does it have one????

Thanks for the reply.

No bleed valve that I know of. If you top it off over the next few days, sounds fine to me. The air will come to the top eventually and bleed out through the reservoir.

When filling you can "burp" the system by squeezing the radiator hoses. You will see the air bubble up.