no heat when not moving?

[BuickGS]

Girlfriend has a '96 TL with the 3.2 and she said if she was not moving or going slow she wouldn't have heat. I took it for a drive on the highway and came back and let the car idle and I had heat. The weird thing is I went and squeezed the radiator hoses and it didn't feel like there was antifreeze in them. The temp guage was in the middle and I checked the antifreeze in the radiator and it was full. I also opened the bleeder screw to see if any air would come out and nothing came out not even antifreeze. Also every thing that has to do with the cooling system has been changed within the last year.

[82Stang]

Check the coolant when it is cold. Or you can make the front end of the car raised and bleed the cooling system again to be sure it has enough coolant and no air. make sure the opening for the coolant is higher than the heater core.

[BuickGS]

The bleeder screw for the coolant is the highest point. Also when I checked it it was cool enough to open it without pressure on the cap.

[82Stang]

Originally Posted by BuickGS

The bleeder screw for the coolant is the highest point. Also when I checked it it was cool enough to open it without pressure on the cap.

Air could be trapped in the system. When you feel the lower radiator hose, it should feel like the coolant in it is surging from the waterpump pumping. Also feel the two hoses going in the firewall to the heater core. Both should be hot. If one is not, then heater core is either plugged or has trapped air. What I would do is this...

-Fill the system up, when cold
-Park the vehicle or raise the front end as high as you safely can
-run vehicle w/radiator cap off (heater fan on high) until thermostat opens
-once the thermostat opens, fill as needed, insert radiator cap
-run a little longer to build the pressure up and try bleeding at screw
-let vehicle cool down and check level again

keep doing this until the air is bled out. Some vehicles are harder than others to bleed and may take a few times to fully get it.

[DonSor]

I thought that the cooling system in most cars are self air bleeding, that is, any air that is trapped in the system gets purged through the radiator cap and out the overflow. If the overflow is empty however, it will suck in air when the engine cools down. Instead of trying a little here and a little there I would do a complete check up of the cooling system. Make sure the thermostat works OK, that the radiator fan responds to the temperature sensor, that the heater valve including the vent louvers works in accordance with the switch settings.

[82Stang]

Originally Posted by DonSor

I thought that the cooling system in most cars are self air bleeding, that is, any air that is trapped in the system gets purged through the radiator cap and out the overflow.

Some are very difficult. The 94-02 Dodge rams are this way. It is common to lift the front end up as high as necessary, so that the heater core is higher than the radiator cap opening. Thus enabling proper bleeding. Air stuck in this system will not bleed it self out through the overflow or cap.

[ricebike]

Originally Posted by 82Stang

Some are very difficult. The 94-02 Dodge rams are this way. It is common to lift the front end up as high as necessary, so that the heater core is higher than the radiator cap opening. Thus enabling proper bleeding. Air stuck in this system will not bleed it self out through the overflow or cap.

the main reason for lifting the front end of a vehicle is to make the radiator cap opening the highest point so air will go out that way...

so i don't get that thinking; when lifted, the heater core is lower... (of course you turn the heater on full hot so it'll circulate and burp the air out of that system)

or you don't have to lift the vehicle and use the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-24610-Sp.../dp/B001A4EAV0

[82Stang]

I think we all know what I meant. Radiator highest point, sorry brain is ahead of fingers.