k series bleeder

[chrisg]

i recieved some information from the guy that runs the mini centre near me that when rover were building cars with the k series they had a novel way around the air lock problem, just want to know if it is true?
basicly the problem is when you fill a k series you get air locks, so solution? remove the air! but im a bit unsure as to the effects of inducing a big vacuum in the cooling system, visions of imploding radiators come to mind! but if this is how rover did it, it must be ok?
also there is the issue of releasing the coolent into the vacuum, as you may or may not know you lower the pressure of a liquid you lower the boiling point and vice versa so at a vacuum the coolent would flash off to steam as soon as it hit it and it would generaly be a violent processs.
either way i built a device to do the whole thing but am a bit wary to try it on my car! has anyone herd of this process being used?

[Geehawk]

Um. I have to say I dont quite get what you are describing.

Suffice to say though, since fitting the K series to my Mini I have had absoloutely no problems with air locks, which is more than I had with the Metro it came from.

And Ive had to refill the cooling system plenty of times too.

[chrisg]

the way it works is:
1. you have an empty cooling system
2. put a special cap on the expansion tank with two pipes coming out, one to suck out the air and one to fill with coolant
3. draw a vacuum in the system and shut off the vacuum pipe
4. let in the coolant and as there is no air there will be no locks

ive never even tryed to do it the normal way of just fill it up and see if you need to bleed it but everybody seems paranoyed about getting air locks in k series engines and destroying heads. so knocked up a dohicky to do the above opperation, just dont want to get the engine in and then buger it up

[evolotion]

i think rover do indeed do it that way, but like geehawk i'v had no trouble whatsoever*, just put bleed points at all the highest piping points in the system(also remembering to bleed the heater matrix hoses).

personally i'd do it the old-school way with bleed points, i meen what if a hose pop's off and you need to do a roadside repair and top up with a bottle of water... you need to be confident you got all teh air out.

* i did have one occation where i forgot to bleed the heater circuit and drove to work, byt eh time i got there ,roughly3 miles, the temp gauge was as high as it could go, and the heater stone cold. :oops: engien was fine though, topped up with water at work and away i went!

[BigAndy]

I would guess that there would only be a low pressure vacuum used in this process? so not likely to cause much damage...? At my garage we only ever bleed the K series using the bleed points. But we've found the week biggest problems is a spring loaded ball bearing in the inlet manifold that seizes in place. While bleeding the system, take off the hose from the expansion tank to the inlet manifold at the manifold end, and stick a small screw driver or something in to the hole, when the bearing is pushed in, water will come out. If you cant get any water out the ball bearing is seized in and will need freeing off and cleaning out or replacing

[evolotion]

i had a prob with that wee valve thing too.