Guys please help me out with coolant bleed

mustang90

Founding Member
Feb 8, 2001
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I just finished installing a new edelbrock high flow water pump, 180 degree thermostat (yes, I drilled a small hole at 12 o’clock position), sve 3 core radiator and sve dual electric fans. My issue is with bleeding the antifreeze. First, I filled the radiator until full, started car with cap off and let run. I kept adding antifreeze as needed, however, when the thermostat opened I had a water flow of antifreeze coming out of the radiator! So when this happened I let the car cool and then disassembled the thermostat housing and drilled the hole in the thermostat at 12 o’clock since it didn’t have one. I reassembled with high hopes and repeated process and same issues, car opened thermostat and another water spout of antifreeze out radiator cap. Yes, I was fairly passed as I spent 45 minutes cleaning up the prior antifreeze mess. So, Should I be keeping the radiator cap on? In the past I always left the radiator cap off to burp the system.
 
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I've always done it the way you've done it. Start the car with the cap off and let it warm up until the tstat opens. I've always observed the level to drop however. Once it's warmed up and i'm not adding any more coolant, i cap it and let it run a bit and then top off the overflow. That's usually it.

I do put a jack under the front and lift the car up slightly. I make the radiator the higher point.
 
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Awesome thanks guys! I know I’m not going crazy lol I’ll order the lisle funnel and see. Was curious if maybe the thermostat that came with the sve kit is garbage. I see mr gasket has a nice one but it’s like $40 bucks!
 
I went ahead and ordered the lisle coolant fill and decided to swap out the thermostat that came with the sve kit (was motorad) with a mr gasket 180 balanced hp thermostat. Will see what happens once I get the lisle filler
 
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Inexpensive vacuum fill kit off Amazon,works without fail every single time.
If you buy one when your young enough you may get to use it a dozen times or so,but friends like to borrow these types of things so all's good.
 
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if concerned w/the stat take it in the kitchen - run hot water, into a bowl, throw in stat, a 'food thermometer" & C when it opens (looks, sound & specific temp). Mosta dis is common sense. B a scientist - take data (use eyes, ears, nose, touch and yes, sometimes - taste) & make mental connections. I love it as I actually expand my consciousness as I bust knuckles. I understand more (abt how things wrk).

'Hi frnt end ' helps but so duz 10 min running (up to temp, cap off/air escapes, mesage hose if U want). Best? filling properly w/a 'no air gets in ' funnel as suggested above (some all ways will - this = a minimum). ?filled to a 1/2 inch below neck? I let it keep running, heater on hot, fan a-blowin, now cap on, a 2nd 10 min & come back look in the over flow, make sure it's "between the lines" adjust so it is (add subtract). Done...
Y R U going thru this procedure? We have folks ask a Q w/the answer already embedded in the Q. Sometimes it is incorrect & they ask us how to get there but again on an incorrect assumption. It is better to state the actual initial issue up frnt. One guy asked here how to put on struts. We went dwn several pages of instructions, much w/guidelines on how to stay safe as doing the correct sequence of operations. Five pages later he'd tested w/new items correctly installed & still had original problem. Needed tire work. Diagnosing afar (no pic, vid, not there for a look) is very difficult (in some cases). One must use systemic thinking...

Good Luck, thanks for trustin us to ask~
 
Prob gonna need to put t-stat in pot of water on the stove to get it hot enough to see if it works. No ones tap water should be that hot.
Useful info.
 
Whatever you do don't jack it up by the core support. You can jack it up by the k member below the rack, if it's a factory one. I mention it because it's one of the first mistakes a new mustang owner makes. That mistake and jacking it up by the pinch welds along the side.

The lisle funnel works. The vacuum fill tool works the best if you have a decent air compressor.
 
Burping the coolant system was a big topic here about ten years ago. I have not had a problem (yet), but others had to jack up the front end high to get the air out.

I’ve never had a single issue burping coolant in the dozens of times having done so, never jacked up the front of anything either. Whether it’s a sbf, bbf, fe, ls, ect. Fill up about 2/3 full with coolant, start engine and slowly top off when thermostat opens.

That lisle funnel does actually look pretty sweet though lol.

Also, where in the hell does a mr gasket thermostat cost $40? The racing one I always buy run about $15
 
Awesome! Thanks for the support guys. As far as the thermostat price, I was being sarcastic, lol. They are like $19.xx but compared to $8.99 or so. Also, I wasn’t keeping the radiator filled below the radiator cap neck and was maybe half full as I didn’t want a spill. I’m concluding that because of this, when the thermostat opened the coolant (splashed around in radiator and flowed out, puked).
 
Just an update guys. I used the Lestle kit to bleed the system and we are good to go. Fans are set to come on at 198 degrees and she’s running nice and cool.
 
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