Air in coolant?

[lovetofix]

We were running plain water through the engine while it was on the test stand.   I wanted all that water drained out, including what was in the heat exchangers, but maybe some of it remained inside.   If so, that may explain this discrepency.   I'll check into this on Monday when I'm next at the mechanic's.

John

This is exactly what I was referring to. When I rebuilt my 6v92TA I drained all the coolant out of the engine block that was possible through the different petcocks and was surprised at how much coolant still ended up on the floor as I took the engine apart.
When they ran the engine with the plain water after rebuilding there is no way to get it all back out.

[windtrader]

I may have missed some posts but it seems you should use what the spec says for change of fluid. That should account for what remains inside, whether that be oil, water, or trans fluids.

[Iceni John]

I may have missed some posts but it seems you should use what the spec says for change of fluid. That should account for what remains inside, whether that be oil, water, or trans fluids.

I agree, but the quantity of coolant remaining in the engine is still much less than the total in the radiator and heaters and in all the pipes and hoses, which Detroit would not know (or care) about.   Also, I suspect the quantity of coolant to be exchanged in a used engine may not be the same as in a freshly-rebuilt engine, maybe?

More to the point, I think that the contributors to this thread here have explained my discrepancy, for which I am very grateful for their knowledge and experience.   Thank you, everyone who has helped me.   Next week I'll resume road-testing everything, and hopefully the coolant level won't change!

John

[luvrbus]

John,when you drain the engine if the petcock is in the lower right hand corner there is  very little coolant left in the engine,the after cooler drains slow sometimes you need to loosen the hose on the T stat housing to the block to drain it if the petcock is missing, the petcock severed 2 purposes, 1 to remove the air to the after cooler and 2 to admit air when draining the system, I think you are OK

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

It helps if you have clear coolant hoses as you can see in the image so you can see where the air is and if you have air bubbles, which is a really bad sign, then you can see them easilyer.

[Iceni John]

It helps if you have clear coolant hoses as you can see in the image so you can see where the air is and if you have air bubbles, which is a really bad sign, then you can see them easilyer.

Having transparent coolant hoses would have helped me recently!   However, I am skeptical about how durable a clear plastic pipe would be, and how long would it last in the heat of a Detroit's hot engine bay?   Do you have any info on these clear pipes?

John

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

I think these clear coolant hoses are used at car shows not in race cars or heavy equipment Jonn.  I believe they are also short sections of glass, not actually hose material, but they sure do look pretty. If you Google "clear coolant hoses" and click on images, you will see images of several of them.

Here is one thread on them.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/clear-coolant-hoses-3131747/

[chessie4905]

Should be good then. Just watch temp gauge and check level frequently for first couple hundred miles.
Good to check for leaks and loose stuff anyways.