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    Cooling system pressure loss

    Alright, in class today I ran a pressuree test on my cooling system and I tried to pump the gauge up to 16psi(or 1.1bar). It would only go to 15 lbs and that took some muscle. Then the needle on the gauge slowly began to drop. It steadied at around 12psi. Now I did spill a little coolant when opening the cap because of just pulling my car into the shop, but not much at all, and my upper hose is a little swollen. Are those two things going to affect my pressure readings that much? I am going to go get a new hose today but what other problems might I have? I checked for about 15 min. on a lift for coolant leaks and I don't think I have any. Any ideas?
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    #2
    Even though you dont see visible leaks, the coolant hoses(most cases are 13+ years old) become dry-rotted.

    You may also have air in the coolant lines giving you false readings...


    1990 Accord Lx F22a1(Daily) SOLD - will be missed
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      #3
      Do we have a bleed screw anywhere on our cars?
      My Members' Ride Thread - It's a marathon build, not a sprint. But keep me honest on the update frequency!

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        #4
        Originally posted by Jarrett
        Do we have a bleed screw anywhere on our cars?
        Wow, thought you would know this if you've dealt with our cooling system.

        Yes, there is a bleeder screw for the coolant system on the thermostat housing (where the lower radiator hose mounts to the engine). After I have drained & flushed the coolant system, I tighten the radiator drain plug, loosen the bleeder screw and fill the radiator up until you see no bubbles coming out of the bleeder screw. Then, I tighten up the bleeder screw. I poor coolant in the washer reservoir to the max line, cap that off. Leaving radiator cap open, I turn heat inside car all way on and start the car letting it fully warm up. I watch the level of coolant in the radiator and keep it full. Once engine is fully warm and the level stays same, I turn engine off and put radiator cap back on. Done, just check for leaks, etc. I usually check back on the coolant level in a couple days to make sure things are good.

        I get habit, if radiator hoses and thermostat need replacement...I do that before obviously. Also, get in habit of checking the condition of your radiator and if it is falling apart or leaking at the seems, get a replacement on order.
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          #5
          if youre losing pressure, theres got to be a leak. worst case scenario, its internal. but bleed it. and run the car with the cap off and watch the level. keep it full until the level stops changing. then pressure test it again. if its still losing pressure, theres a leak. if youre not losing it anymore, you probably had air in there.
          lifes better in a wagon.

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            #6
            Yeah, I saw the screw and remembered I'd seen it several times. Sorry for the dumb comment. Anyways, I bled it and a lot of air came out so I still need to change my hose and I'll retest it. Thanks for the help guys.
            My Members' Ride Thread - It's a marathon build, not a sprint. But keep me honest on the update frequency!

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