Ok so getting ever more frustrated with my Surfs lack of heating, i didn't mind in the summer and of course me being me i never sorted it in time and now its cold, and I'm grumpy.
Basically, car was operating fine and fitting just below middle on temp gauge, but no heaters, so i assumed id just flush the coolant/change the stat/clear out the matrix and that'd fix it.. well.
Changed coolant and stat, they looked fine so kinda knew it wouldn't sort it, i made sure the matrix is clear and flushed it with a hose, no issues there.
filled it all back up and started to bleed it, no issues, burped a little and sits middle as it should. No heater still.
Did some googling on Surf/4-Runner forums and it appears its a ball ache to bleed these as the matrix feed and return pipes sit higher than the rad cap (see picture and expertly drawn arrows).. Advice is take one of these hoses off when you fill it with coolant to avoid a big air pocket. Of course i didn't know this and didnt do it, ive now taken the hose off, running the car and topping the coolant but its not bleeding and i cant get a solid flow up to the matrix.
I don't believe its a block in the engine anywhere but could be wrong, what i think the issue is myself, is now that ive filled it up with those pipes still attached ive created a massive air lock which i now cant clear..
With engine running, no coolant flowing to matrix at all, if i chuck some coolant in a funnel a bit dribbled out but i don't think its a strong enough flow to get past the air lock.
I think tomorrow I'm going to drain all the coolant out again and this time fill it up with them disconnected in the hopes it pushes the air out to begin with and I'm not stuck with this issue.
Is my logic sound here, am i missing something? I'm confident its an air leak just struggling to think of a better way to tackle it than leave the matrix return pipe off when i fill it? Once its flowing from there i can reattach it and should have no air locks?
Basically, car was operating fine and fitting just below middle on temp gauge, but no heaters, so i assumed id just flush the coolant/change the stat/clear out the matrix and that'd fix it.. well.
Changed coolant and stat, they looked fine so kinda knew it wouldn't sort it, i made sure the matrix is clear and flushed it with a hose, no issues there.
filled it all back up and started to bleed it, no issues, burped a little and sits middle as it should. No heater still.
Did some googling on Surf/4-Runner forums and it appears its a ball ache to bleed these as the matrix feed and return pipes sit higher than the rad cap (see picture and expertly drawn arrows).. Advice is take one of these hoses off when you fill it with coolant to avoid a big air pocket. Of course i didn't know this and didnt do it, ive now taken the hose off, running the car and topping the coolant but its not bleeding and i cant get a solid flow up to the matrix.
I don't believe its a block in the engine anywhere but could be wrong, what i think the issue is myself, is now that ive filled it up with those pipes still attached ive created a massive air lock which i now cant clear..
With engine running, no coolant flowing to matrix at all, if i chuck some coolant in a funnel a bit dribbled out but i don't think its a strong enough flow to get past the air lock.
I think tomorrow I'm going to drain all the coolant out again and this time fill it up with them disconnected in the hopes it pushes the air out to begin with and I'm not stuck with this issue.
Is my logic sound here, am i missing something? I'm confident its an air leak just struggling to think of a better way to tackle it than leave the matrix return pipe off when i fill it? Once its flowing from there i can reattach it and should have no air locks?
