Questions about coolant refill....

[Vette73]

In the process of putting car back together after bad starter and porting IHs and plenum.....

I must have taken out around 3-4 quarts of coolant prior to work.....
I'm reading now it can be an issue when you refill coolant (what else is new)

Forgive me I'm a little old school.....I'm reading now the car has to be jacked up for it to flow maybe? Maybe there could be air in the lines?

Maybe it's good I read about this before I replaced coolant because all I was going to do was replace and that's it.....Now, if there is an air pocket it really wouldn't show right away on the temp gauge and the head gasket can be damaged...

Could somebody explain this easier than all these articles I'm reading?
Maybe a photo......I have an idea what to look out for but want to be positive about it....

Thnx again....

[HAWAIIZR-1]

http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20W...%20Coolant.pdf

Check out the article from Marc Haibeck, the ZR-1 Specialist.

[Dynomite]

Originally Posted by Vette73

In the process of putting car back together after bad starter and porting IHs and plenum.....

I must have taken out around 3-4 quarts of coolant prior to work.....
I'm reading now it can be an issue when you refill coolant (what else is new)

Forgive me I'm a little old school.....I'm reading now the car has to be jacked up for it to flow maybe? Maybe there could be air in the lines?

Maybe it's good I read about this before I replaced coolant because all I was going to do was replace and that's it.....Now, if there is an air pocket it really wouldn't show right away on the temp gauge and the head gasket can be damaged...

Could somebody explain this easier than all these articles I'm reading?
Maybe a photo......I have an idea what to look out for but want to be positive about it....

Thnx again....

If you only removed 3-4 quarts......just fill it back up slowly pouring coolant into the reservoir directly in front of the passenger side window. Let the air bubble out and keep filling that reservoir until it quits bubbling. Start the engine and feel both right and left side injector housing coolant manifolds (the two coolant pipes going forward just above the Cam Covers) and if they start getting warm within a minute....you should be fine. Hardly ever have an air lock if you just drain a bit of coolant as the coolant still resides in the water pump.

It is when you remove the water pump that there might be an air lock if you do not fill coolant correctly.

Then I use this method which is a bit unique but works every time
LT5 Air Locked Water Pump Simplified

Keep the overflow plastic coolant reservoir under passenger side headlight a couple inches below the top (check after engine cools down) and check that during several driving cycles until the coolant levels out in that reservoir. It takes several cycles to get ALL the air out of the coolant system after draining some coolant.

[A1990]

Good rule of thumb: However much coolant comes out needs to go back in.

[Paul Workman]

I saw Pete use a long, wide, low plastic (Tupperware?) box bottom that slid uder the car w/o lifting it so as to collect the antifreeze. The box caught all the drips, etc., for one thing, and it made it easy to catch it all w/o making a mess, and to be sure to get ti all back IN.

FYI, plugging the IH coolant ports to the throttle body (or bypassing the TB) really simplifies the plenum pull chore. No more fussing with coolant at all, and unless maybe you drive in sub zero temps there is little to no chance of the TB icing up - in my experience anyway. Pulling or reinstalling the plenum (with the help of an air ratchet) is a 5 minute job each way!