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With the following readings:
178F/78C at the top radiator hose
118F/48C at the bottom hose
158F/71C from both heather pipes at the firewall
BUT
Only 116F/47C from the air vents (max heat, fan on full). The valve on the firewall seems to open fully
Now with these numbers in hand. Does my system needs bleeding? Or is my heater matrix blocked? Or both?
I bought the car like this and I found out the previous owner changed thermostat and radiator before the sale. I had my local mechanic flushing the heater matrix last week and didn't see much improvement (could still be blocked or damaged?) or is just air? (Even with top and bottom hoses at the right temp?)
After trying every method in the book, i.e. LHT (spill free funnel, extra hose from manifold line), standard spill free funnel/burping and Billman, the only one that worked was the Billman method.
Although lengthier, with building pressure in the system, releasing and refilling, it was the only one that worked to get all the air out of the heater matrix
Very Interesting. Clearly hotter air from the vents than the LHT method. 10°C. This shows how valuable actuall meassurments are compared to desciptions like "Feels hot". I will try the Billman Method next.
Fanzo, what was the ambient temperature when you did the coolant bleed?
Last edited by Mr.Matchbox; 05-09-2024 at 07:34 AM.
Very Interesting. Clearly hotter air from the vents than the LHT method. 10°C. This shows how valuable actuall meassurments are compared to desciptions like "Feels hot". I will try the Billman Method next.
Fanzo, what was the ambient temperature when you did the coolant bleed?
Hi! Yes absolutely. The ambient temp was roughly 15/20°C. When I started my car wouldn't get past 57°C. After a heater flush and a spill free funnel burp (+LHT) still wouldn't go past 67ish°C, which was better, but to me didn't feel nowhere near as hot as other cars I have.
That's when I bit the bullet and tried the Billman method.
If you wanna try to reach that sort of temp from cold and without driving, the car will have to idle for at least 20/25 mins I reckon.
If you let it idle for only 10/15 mins, around 75/77°C is what I was getting as well (which was also the temperature measured from the heater matrix hoses at the firewall).
Anyway for me, before using the Billman method, even after driving/long idling, the car wasn't really reaching those sort of temp.
I think if you're getting north of 70°C anyway already, there's probably very little air left in the system.
ps. Very important: This was with getting the laser to hit the bottom of the vents and not the plastic fins on the outside.
Thank you sir! One more question: when you tried the LHT method, do you also attached a hose to the bledding port at the firewall (Tube to the heater) to get the air out?
As described by me, picture Nr. 2: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-un...y-way-1218970/
Thank you sir! One more question: when you tried the LHT method, do you also attached a hose to the bledding port at the firewall (Tube to the heater) to get the air out?
As described by me, picture Nr. 2: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-un...y-way-1218970/
No problem mate! I've got so much out of this forum so the minimum I can do is to chip in and contribute whenever I can.
My car is a JDM/import and does not have a firewall bleeding point.
You can try bleeding through that point as well, but many agree that doesn't seem to be that much effective anyway.
What I did instead, was raising the car nose a bit (on front axle stands). I guess the heater matrix in these cars might be positioned slightly higher than anything else, and by raising the car nose a bit, you should have all air raising/moving towards the head's bleeding point.
Good luck and let us know how you get on!
Ps. If yours is an early gen/old car like mine, maybe worth giving the heater matrix a flush. Mine was full of crap.
Thank you sir. That is a interesting detail that your S2000 dont have the bleeder at the firewall. I still really have a hard, a very hard time to belive that after the LHT bleeding + the use of the bleeder port at the firewall is air left in the system, as you actually see that there are no more air bubbles coming out thanks to the clear hoses. And after the LHT bleed, the level in the coolant overflow tank has not changed a bit at my S2000, and i drove some hundred Kilometers afterwards.
But lets see....
Thank you sir. That is a interesting detail that your S2000 dont have the bleeder at the firewall. I still really have a hard, a very hard time to belive that after the LHT bleeding + the use of the bleeder port at the firewall is air left in the system, as you actually see that there are no more air bubbles coming out thanks to the clear hoses. And after the LHT bleed, the level in the coolant overflow tank has not changed a bit at my S2000, and i drove some hundred Kilometers afterwards.
But lets see....
I think your temperature readings at the vents are pretty good. Do you get a higher reading past the vents, by pointing the thermometer laser right down the vents opening?
I think the problem with an air pocket is that a simple "burping" (at least in my case) wasn't enough to push out the small pockets of air trapped in the heater core. I'd imagine the coolant was simply flowing below it.
On the other hand, when opening the bleeding valve with the system under pressure was probably enough to get them out.
Last resort would be using a vacuum filler, but if you haven't tried the Billman method, I would give that a try first.
05-05-2024, 03:55 AM
Air trapped/clogged heater matrix? (Solved)
