I have a 1995 Citroen ZX 1.4i, the problem I have is that there seems to be air in the cooling system, as I have stated in a previous posting I had a rushing noise coming from my heater matrix. My question are the following: -
1. Is it possible to bleed the system without draining all the coolant from the system. If it possible will I have to use a header tank like you would if I were to drain and refil. And is the bleeding sequence the same as stated in the Haynes manual.
2. If I have to renew all the coolant. Can anyone recommend a good coolant. Would it be worth using one of those trigend ready mix formulas such as comma x stream range.
3. Would it be ok to use tap water with a conditioner or would I be better of using bottled water. Any suggestions welcome
Regards
CITMAN
Edited by - CITMAN on 12 Jan 2003 18:27:27
Bleeding Cooling System
Moderator: RichardW
Living in a place that never saw a ZX or a 1.4 BX I must admit I don't have an intimate knowledge of the motor, but over the years I have done the odd job on various Citroens.
The sound you refer to will inevitably possibly end up being a head gasket on the way out so we'll get the worst case scenario out of the way for starters. I mention this before you spend a pile on new anti-freeze & then discover it's all for nought.
As regards the rest of your enquiries;
#1 Yes you can bleed the system without fully draining and if you have a header tank by all means use it. I don't know how Haynes describes the sequence but personally, I usually work on overfilling the header tank & loosening the highest bleed screw. Then bleed from the lowest to the highest keeping the header brimming each time the level falls due to air being removed.
#2 Living far away I don't know the brands you have available but it has been discussed on this forum many times with the consencus being that the genuine Citroen anti-gel being the preferred option.
#3 I would not use tap water under any circumstances. There are so many chemicals & pollutants that a water conditioner may just even add to rather than take away harmful substances.
Back in the days of cast iron heads & blocks it was possible but today with such a variety of metals & alloys used, it's hard to know what will set off massive electrolysis. Water treated via reverse osmosis I understand is the safest bet as used by (pre-mixed) coolant suppliers, failing this, demineralised or distilled water is your safest option.
Alan S
The sound you refer to will inevitably possibly end up being a head gasket on the way out so we'll get the worst case scenario out of the way for starters. I mention this before you spend a pile on new anti-freeze & then discover it's all for nought.
As regards the rest of your enquiries;
#1 Yes you can bleed the system without fully draining and if you have a header tank by all means use it. I don't know how Haynes describes the sequence but personally, I usually work on overfilling the header tank & loosening the highest bleed screw. Then bleed from the lowest to the highest keeping the header brimming each time the level falls due to air being removed.
#2 Living far away I don't know the brands you have available but it has been discussed on this forum many times with the consencus being that the genuine Citroen anti-gel being the preferred option.
#3 I would not use tap water under any circumstances. There are so many chemicals & pollutants that a water conditioner may just even add to rather than take away harmful substances.
Back in the days of cast iron heads & blocks it was possible but today with such a variety of metals & alloys used, it's hard to know what will set off massive electrolysis. Water treated via reverse osmosis I understand is the safest bet as used by (pre-mixed) coolant suppliers, failing this, demineralised or distilled water is your safest option.
Alan S
Why do you mention the head gasket, what are the symtoms usually of head gasket failure. THe headgasket was changed a couple of years ago due to an oil leak, which was getting on to the cambelt, and also in to the coolant. The heater matrix is leaking a little as I can smell a short burst of hot coolant on turning the heater nob to the hot position.
I've heard of a few cases of this noise coming from the heater and inevitably after all the time & effort put into trying to find it, it usually always seems to turn out to be the head gasket weeping.
I used to argue that there could be no connection but was proven wrong so many times that I now feel it's more a symptom of a head gasket problem than a heater one.
My argument was, and I suspect is yours, with your mention of the use of a header bottle, that as often a heater matrix is the place the air gets trapped, often due to the top of the matrix being higher than the level put into the header tank. This is often the case but this seems to show itself by locking up in the radiator where you can have one section red hot & another ice cold and the cold area always seems to coincidentally find its way around the fan switch and hence exacerbate the problem.
The smell from the matrix is another thing I recently mentioned upon which some agreed with me whilst others didn't. It's worth a look to read that posting as some good examples were quoted during its discussion.
http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... IC_ID=2173
As regards ways of testing the head gasket, there are plenty but one of them is a string of tiny air bubbles in the cooling system & that's the one I'd be checking for if I were you.
Hope that clarifies it a bit more.
Alan S
I used to argue that there could be no connection but was proven wrong so many times that I now feel it's more a symptom of a head gasket problem than a heater one.
My argument was, and I suspect is yours, with your mention of the use of a header bottle, that as often a heater matrix is the place the air gets trapped, often due to the top of the matrix being higher than the level put into the header tank. This is often the case but this seems to show itself by locking up in the radiator where you can have one section red hot & another ice cold and the cold area always seems to coincidentally find its way around the fan switch and hence exacerbate the problem.
The smell from the matrix is another thing I recently mentioned upon which some agreed with me whilst others didn't. It's worth a look to read that posting as some good examples were quoted during its discussion.
http://www.andyspares.com/discussionfor ... IC_ID=2173
As regards ways of testing the head gasket, there are plenty but one of them is a string of tiny air bubbles in the cooling system & that's the one I'd be checking for if I were you.
Hope that clarifies it a bit more.
Alan S