May 18, 2007

• Van Update

  Fixed the fuel line I thought was crushed. It turns out I had just not clamped it tight enough. Doh.

  Tested the line for pressure, hooked it all back up, and voila.

  Bled the coolant system. Which is annoying, by the way. First you have to let it warm up enough that the thermostat is open, then you have to keep the engine revved to 2k+ RPM (I jammed a chunk of rubber hose in the throttle mechanism). And while it's revving and being noisy and generally annoying, you have to keep the little coolant reservoir filled. And when you've done that, with the engine still revved, you have to go to the radiator and open its bleed valve until the coolant comes out, and then close it and immediately run back to make sure the coolant reservoir isn't dry.

  And then, whatever you do, you don't forget to put the cap back on the reservoir before you take the chunk of rubber out of the throttle.

  (Which I didn't, because I've made that mistake before.)

  Runs much better. It's amazing to me how much difference a thermostat can make.

  • 12:44 am
  • 3 Comments