Td5 top radiator hose bleed screw

**Fluids** · 10th January 2010, 01:29 PM

I was checking fluid levels friday night, notice top hose bleed screw had a tiny tiny weep (just moist with dry red coolant around edge of rubber screw plinth) ... snugged it up about 1/8th turn. Wipe away all traces of red coolant ... top up coolant (about 200ml)

Saturday arvo I'm in the driveway, wifey pulls in ... I get a whiff of coolant as she stops. Pop the hood ... everything on the left hand side of the engine bay is red !

... Bleed screw doesn't appear to be level. Give it a twist and it comes off in my fingers !

... great! Coolant tank level is about 1" down. I guess I caught that one just in time.

Tried to (gently) unscrew stub of bleed screw from hose using several unsuccesful methods, then threaded section in hose starts to move, and then falls down into the top hose !

... great! Now I can't even jerry a temporary repair (although a shortened golf tee, some gaffa tape, a 20c peice & some cable ties do look promising). Hose is original I believe, and D2a is almost 6yrs since manufacture. The hose itself is in excellent condition. Crappy bleed screw!! (Note to self - leave some golf tee's in the toolbox)

I gotta take the top hose off and retrieve the threaded section that's fallen into the hose ... don't I ??

... probably wont matter if it ends up in the radiator top tank, but It'll probably go down the return line to the thermosat knowing my luck.

I'll order a new hose AND a BRASS bleed screw ... and when I'm a little more flush I'll be ordering an ENGINESAVER ... sooner rather than later.

Here's another question - If I effect a temporary repair to the bleed screw, is it OK to run the Td5 with the coolant tank lid loose so as to not let the cooling system pressurize ?? (after I retrieve the bit inside the top hose) ... I run a Nanocom on the dash in instrument mode, so always looking at engine coolant temp (set with a 100deg alarm LED).

I don't see why not ? ... but it is ALWAYS safer to ask first

Thanks
Kev..

**Fluids** · 14th January 2010, 11:17 AM

I gotta take the top hose off and retrieve the threaded section that's fallen into the hose ... don't I ??

Reply to self .... YES doofus, you do !

Easy job, made bloody difficult by the fact that the bottom end of the top hose (that comes from the thermostat discharge) had its clips facing in such a direction that I could not get the multi's onto it from underneath (Clip is on opposite side of hose) ... from the top there's almost no room to manouvre with the thermofan & radiator shroud ... 2hrs to get that clip off ! What fun!!

Upside was hose replacement was quick & easy (& allowed me to re-position the clamps so NEXT time it will be a quick job). The hose and water outlet on the head were as clean as a whistle inside with no trace of any gunk anywhere. Cooling system is VERY clean inside.

Fitted brass bleed screw, replace coolant (drained, saved and re-used as was only 6 months old), add extra 600ml lost in hose changeover, and all is good.

Hose $85.80. Brass bleed screw $15.30 - Ex Karcraft (good service and quick delivery too)

Kev..

**feral** · 14th January 2010, 11:36 AM

Well done Kev!

A little self diagnosis & repairs go along way.

Just think....as the car gets older with more breakdowns you will get better at fixing it

**Fluids** · 15th January 2010, 11:05 AM

Thanks Feral!

It's a very satisfying feeling when you knock over that _difficult_ job <LOL>

Would have been easy 'cept for that hose clamp ... I can just see the assy' line in Solihull ... "Hey, left put this clamp on backwards (heh he heh snigger snigger) ... that'll upset someone down the track"

Gettin' better at fixing stuff all the time!

Kev..

**strangy** · 15th January 2010, 09:16 PM

Hint..... remove inner splash guard next time for easier access.

cheers

**Fluids** · 15th January 2010, 10:03 PM

Originally Posted by strangy

Hint..... remove inner splash guard next time for easier access.

cheers

I DID !!

....

Part of my day job invloves small engine repair.
There's no excuse for the time it took me for that hose clip ..

Kev..

Zute · 17th January 2010, 01:25 AM

Wait til you decide to change the thermostate.

Hint; jack front of disco just a bit to give you more space between diff and sump.
Best Hint: only change thermostate if its buggered.

**Blknight.aus** · 17th January 2010, 06:35 AM

Im so glad Im not the only one whose found the clamps on the cooling system a PITA....

its easy to see how they go on that way when the cars assembled it must save all of 1 second per car per clamp to put them on the way they go on but then takes an additional hour per clamp per car to change the stinkers..

my field fix for the top radiator hose problem is bluetack, a bandage, a shim of aluminium and lots of string.

wrap either side of the bulge for the screw with a turn of bandage so that the hose doesnt get cut by the shim. place a blob of blue tack into the hole cover that with some shimstock then tightly wrap the whole thing with string.

**Fluids** · 18th January 2010, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by Zute

Wait til you decide to change the thermostate.

Hint; jack front of disco just a bit to give you more space between diff and sump.
Best Hint: only change thermostate if its buggered.

Thanks Zute. When I did my coolant flush, I picked up a new thermostat along with the OAT coolant ... looked at the position of the thing after draining the coolant ... thermostat is still on the shelf 7 months later !

At least I have one ready to go if need be. They don't appear to fail very often.

Nice tip about jacking the body up a bit. Thanks for that!

Kev..

**Fluids** · 18th January 2010, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

Im so glad Im not the only one whose found the clamps on the cooling system a PITA....

its easy to see how they go on that way when the cars assembled it must save all of 1 second per car per clamp to put them on the way they go on but then takes an additional hour per clamp per car to change the stinkers..

my field fix for the top radiator hose problem is bluetack, a bandage, a shim of aluminium and lots of string.

wrap either side of the bulge for the screw with a turn of bandage so that the hose doesnt get cut by the shim. place a blob of blue tack into the hole cover that with some shimstock then tightly wrap the whole thing with string.

Dave ... fun, aren't they!

I guess as clamps go, they work OK, and give even pressure around the hose, but some fore-thought on positioning would help! I re-positioned mine so next time ....

Do they have a special tool for these clamps ?

Neat tip on the feild fix .... try a golf tee in place of the blue-tac (if the threaded insert has failed). Looks like it was made for the job ... I tried a hose clamp around it with a 20c peice ontop of the golf tee ... string looks like a better way of jerrying it up. Thanks for the tip!

Kev..

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