How you can remove an airlock from the cooling system

The presence of air in the cooling system is fraught with problems for both the internal combustion engine and other vehicle components. namely, overheating may occur or the stove will heat poorly. Therefore, it is useful for any motorist to know how to expel an air lock from the cooling system. This procedure is quite trivial, so even a beginner and inexperienced motorist will be able to do it. In view of their importance, we will describe three methods for removing air. But first, let's talk about how to understand that air traffic jams are taking place and about the reasons for their appearance.

Airborne symptoms

How to understand that an air lock has appeared in the cooling system? When this phenomenon occurs, several typical symptoms appear. Among them:

• Problems with the thermostat. More specifically, if after starting the internal combustion engine, the cooling fan turns on very quickly, then it is likely that the thermostat is out of order. Another reason for this may be that air has accumulated in the pump nozzle. If the thermostat valve is closed, then the antifreeze circulates in a small circle. Another situation is also possible, when the coolant temperature arrow is at “zeros”, when the internal combustion engine has already warmed up enough. Here again, two options are possible - a breakdown of the thermostat, or the presence of an air lock in it.
• Antifreeze leak. It can be checked visually by traces of antifreeze on individual elements of the internal combustion engine or the chassis of the car.
• The pump starts to make noise... With its partial failure, extraneous noise appears.
• Stove problems... There are many reasons for this, but one of the reasons is the formation of an air lock in the cooling system.

If you find at least one of the symptoms described above, then you need to diagnose the cooling system. However, before that, it will be useful to understand what caused the possible problems.

Causes of air congestion

Airing of the cooling system can be caused by a number of malfunctions. Among them:

• Depressurization of the system. It can occur in a variety of places - on hoses, fittings, branch pipes, tubes, and so on. Depressurization can be caused by mechanical damage to its individual parts, their natural wear, and a decrease in pressure in the system. If after you eliminated the air lock, air appeared in the system again, then it is depressurized. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out diagnostics and its visual inspection in order to identify the damaged area.

  Pour antifreeze in a thin stream

• Wrong procedure for adding antifreeze. If it was filled with a wide jet, then there is a high probability of a phenomenon occurring when air cannot leave the tank, since it often has a narrow neck. Therefore, in order for this not to happen, it is necessary to fill in the coolant slowly, allowing the air to leave the system.
• air valve failure. Its task is to remove excess air from the cooling system, and prevent it from entering from the outside. In the event of a breakdown of the air valve, air is sucked in, which spreads through the engine cooling jacket. You can correct the situation by repairing or replacing the cover with the mentioned valve (most often).
• pump failure... Here the situation is similar to the previous one. If the fiber or the pump oil seal allows air to pass from the outside, then it naturally enters the system. Accordingly, when the symptoms described appear, it is recommended to check this node.
• Leaking coolant. In fact, this is the same depressurization, since instead of antifreeze, air enters the system, forming a plug in it. Leaks can be in a variety of places - on gaskets, pipes, radiators, and so on. Checking this breakdown is not so difficult. Usually, antifreeze streaks are visible on the elements of the internal combustion engine, chassis or other parts of the car. If they are found, it is necessary to revise the cooling system.
• Failure of the cylinder head gasket. In this case, antifreeze can enter the internal combustion engine cylinders. One of the clearest symptoms of such a problem is the appearance of white smoke from the exhaust pipe. At the same time, significant seething is often observed in the expansion tank of the cooling system, due to the ingress of exhaust gases into it. For more information on the signs of cylinder head gasket failure, as well as tips for replacing it, you can read in another article.

Radiator cover

Each of the reasons described above can harm the components and mechanisms of the car. First of all suffering from DIC, since its normal cooling is disrupted. It overheats, due to which the wear rises to a critical one. And this can lead to deformation of its individual parts, failure of the sealing elements, and in especially dangerous cases even to its jamming.

also airing leads to poor operation of the stove. The reasons for this are similar. Antifreeze does not circulate well and does not transfer enough heat.

then let's move on to the methods by which you can remove the air lock from the cooling system. They differ in the method of execution, as well as complexity.

Methods for removing an airlock from the cooling system

How to expel an airlock from the cooling system of a VAZ classic

There are three basic methods by which you can eliminate the air lock. Let's list them in order. The first method is great for VAZ cars... Its algorithm will be as follows:

1. Remove from the internal combustion engine all protective and other elements that may prevent you from reaching the expansion tank with coolant.
2. Disconnect one of the nozzles that are responsible for heating the throttle assembly (it does not matter, direct or reverse).
3. Remove the expansion tank cap and cover the neck with a loose cloth.
4. Blow inside the tank. so you will create a slight overpressure, which will be enough to allow excess air to escape through the nozzle.
5. As soon as antifreeze comes out of the hole for the branch pipe, immediately put the branch pipe on it and, preferably, fix it with a clamp. Otherwise, air will enter it again.
6. Close the cover of the expansion tank and collect back all the elements of the internal combustion engine protection removed earlier.

The second method is carried out in accordance with the following algorithm:

1. Start the internal combustion engine and let it run for 10…15 minutes, then turn it off.
2. Remove the necessary elements in order to get to the coolant expansion tank.
3. Without removing the lid from it, disconnect one of the nozzles on the tank. If the system has been airy, then air will begin to come out of it.
4. As soon as the antifreeze pours out, immediately reinstall the pipe and fix it.

When doing this, be careful, because the temperature of the antifreeze can be high and reach + 80 ... 90 ° C.

The third method of how to remove an airlock from the system must be done as follows:

1. you need to put the car on a hill so that its front part is higher. It is important that the radiator cap is higher than the rest of the cooling system. At the same time, put the car on the handbrake, or better place stops under the wheels.
2. Let the engine run for 10-15 minutes.
3. Unscrew the caps from the expansion tank and radiator.
4. Press the accelerator pedal periodically and add coolant to the radiator. In this case, air will escape from the system. You will notice it by the bubbles. Continue the procedure until all the air is gone. In this case, you can turn on the stove to the maximum mode. As soon as the thermostat opens the valve completely and very hot air flows into the passenger compartment, it means that the air has been removed from the system. At the same time, it is necessary to check for bubbles escaping from the coolant.

As for the latter method, on machines with an automatically turned on fan of the cooling system, you can not even overgas, but calmly let the internal combustion engine warm up and wait until the fan turns on. At the same time, the movement of the coolant will increase, and under the action of circulation, air will be released from the system. At the same time, it is important to add coolant to the system in order to prevent airing again.

As you can see, the methods of how to get rid of an air lock in the internal combustion engine cooling system are quite simple. They are all based on the fact that air is lighter than liquid. Therefore, it is necessary to create conditions under which the air plug will be forced out of the system under pressure. However, it is best not to bring the system to that state and take preventive measures in time. We will talk about them further.

General recommendations for prevention

The first thing to look out for is the level of antifreeze in the cooling system. Always control it, and top up if necessary. Moreover, if you have to add coolant very often, then this is the first call, indicating that something is wrong with the system, and additional diagnostics are needed to identify the cause of the breakdown. also check for stains from leaking antifreeze. it is better to do this in a viewing hole.

Remember to periodically clean the cooling system. How and by what means to do this you can read in the relevant articles on our website.

Try to use the antifreeze recommended by your car manufacturer. And make purchases in trusted licensed stores, minimizing the likelihood of acquiring a fake. The fact is that a poor-quality coolant in the process of repeated heating can gradually evaporate, and an air lock forms in the system instead. Therefore, do not neglect the manufacturer's requirements.

Instead of a conclusion

Finally, I would like to note that when the described signs of airing the system appear, it is necessary to diagnose and check it as soon as possible. After all, an air lock significantly reduces the efficiency of the cooling system. Because of this, the internal combustion engine operates under conditions of increased wear, which can lead to its premature failure. Therefore, try to get rid of the plug as soon as possible when air is detected. Fortunately, even a novice car enthusiast can do this, since the procedure is simple and does not require the use of additional tools or devices.