The presence of air in the cooling system is fraught with problems for both the engine and other components of the car. In particular, overheating may occur or the stove will heat poorly. Therefore, it is useful for any motorist to know how to remove an air lock from the cooling system. This procedure is quite trivial, so even a beginner and inexperienced car enthusiast can do it. Due to its importance, we will talk about three methods of removing air. But first, let's talk about how to understand that air jams are occurring and the reasons for their occurrence.
Symptoms of airiness
How can you tell if there is an air lock in the cooling system? When this phenomenon occurs, several typical symptoms occur. Among them:
- Problems with the thermostat . More specifically, if after starting the engine the cooling fan turns on very quickly, then there is a high probability that the thermostat has failed. Another reason for this may be that air has accumulated in the pump nozzle. If the thermostat valve is closed, the antifreeze circulates in a small circle. Another situation is possible when the coolant temperature needle is at “zero” when the engine has already warmed up enough. Here again, two options are possible - a malfunction of the thermostat, or the presence of an air lock in it.
- Antifreeze leak . It can be checked visually by traces of antifreeze on individual elements of the engine or chassis of the car.
- The pump starts to make noise . When it partially fails, extraneous noise appears.
- Problems with the stove . There are many reasons for this malfunction, but one of them is the formation of an air lock in the cooling system.
If you find at least one of the symptoms described above, then you need to diagnose the cooling system. However, before doing this, it will be useful to understand what caused the possible problems.
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FEATURES OF ENGINE COOLING VAZ 2114
This car, like the VAZ 2113 and VAZ 2115, uses a VAZ closed liquid cooling system, the coolant in which is antifreeze or antifreeze. The coolant circulates through special channels in a running engine. Its circulation is ensured by a pump, which is driven by the engine crankshaft using a drive belt.
It regulates the flow of coolant, its direction, by a device called a thermostat. It is designed in such a way that before the coolant warms up to operating temperature, it circulates in a small circle, bypassing the radiator. When the liquid reaches a temperature of 87 0 C, it opens and the liquid flow is directed to the radiator for cooling.
The radiator is blown by a flow of oncoming air, and when there is not enough air, an electric fan turns on. For these purposes, a sensor is installed in the radiator, which produces a signal to turn it on. Also, hot liquid flows through the heater radiator and heats the interior of the car in cold weather. Excess antifreeze from thermal expansion is collected in an additional tank, which is called an expansion tank.
Causes of air locks
Air in the cooling system can be caused by a number of malfunctions. Among them:
- Depressurization of the system . It can occur in a variety of places - on hoses, fittings, pipes, pipes, and so on. Depressurization can be caused by mechanical damage to its individual parts, their natural wear, or a decrease in pressure in the system. If, after you have removed the air lock, air appears in the system again, it means that it is depressurized. Therefore, it is necessary to do diagnostics and visual inspection in order to identify the damaged area. You need to pour antifreeze in a thin stream.
- Incorrect procedure for adding antifreeze . If it was filled with a wide stream, then there is a high probability of a phenomenon occurring when air cannot escape from the tank, since it often has a narrow neck. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to fill in the coolant slowly, allowing air to leave the system.
- Air valve malfunction . Its task is to remove excess air from the cooling system and prevent it from entering from the outside. If the air valve malfunctions, air leaks in and spreads through the engine cooling jacket. The situation can be corrected by repairing or replacing the cover with the mentioned valve (most often).
- Pump malfunction . Here the situation is similar to the previous one. If the fiber or seal of the pump allows air from the outside to pass through, it naturally enters the system. Accordingly, if the described symptoms appear, it is recommended to check this node.
- Coolant leak . In essence, this is the same depressurization, since instead of antifreeze, air enters the system, forming a plug in it. Leaks can occur in a variety of places - on gaskets, pipes, radiators, and so on. Checking this malfunction is not so difficult. Typically, antifreeze drips are visible on engine elements, chassis or other parts of the car. If they are detected, it is necessary to inspect the cooling system.
- Failure of the cylinder head gasket . In this case, antifreeze can enter the engine cylinders. One of the clearest symptoms of this problem is the appearance of white smoke from the exhaust pipe. In this case, significant bubbling is often observed in the expansion tank of the cooling system, due to the ingress of exhaust gases into it. You can read more information about the signs of a cylinder head gasket failure, as well as tips for replacing it, in another article.
Radiator cap Each of the reasons described above can damage the components and mechanisms of the car. First of all, the engine suffers because its normal cooling is disrupted. It overheats, causing wear to become critical. And this can lead to deformation of its individual parts, failure of sealing elements, and in especially dangerous cases, even to jamming.
Airing also leads to poor stove performance. The reasons for this are similar. Antifreeze does not circulate well and does not tolerate sufficient heat.
Next, let's move directly to the methods by which you can remove the air lock from the cooling system. They differ in the method of execution, as well as complexity.
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Method 3
The troubleshooting algorithm looks like this:
- Warm up the engine to operating temperature without allowing the cooling fan to operate;
- Similar to the second method, remove one of the pipes from the throttle;
- When you remove one of the tubes, air will come out, after which antifreeze will begin to flow out. At the same moment, place the tube in place and tighten the clamp.
Understanding how to remove air from the cooling system on a VAZ 2114 allows you to eliminate the problem of sudden engine overheating due to a traffic jam anywhere. It is enough to have a screwdriver to unscrew the pipes from the throttle and work on eliminating air can begin.
Methods for removing air lock from the cooling system
How to remove an air lock from the cooling system of a VAZ classic There are three main methods by which you can eliminate an air lock. Let's list them in order. The first method is great for VAZ cars. Its algorithm will be as follows:
- Remove from the engine all protective and other elements that may prevent you from reaching the expansion tank with coolant.
- Disconnect one of the pipes that are responsible for heating the throttle assembly (it doesn’t matter whether it’s direct or reverse).
- Remove the expansion tank cap and cover the neck with a loose cloth.
- Blow inside the tank. This will create a slight excess pressure, which will be enough for excess air to escape through the pipe.
- As soon as antifreeze comes out of the hole for the pipe, immediately put the pipe on it and preferably secure it with a clamp. Otherwise, air will get back into it.
- Close the expansion tank cap and reassemble all previously removed engine protection elements.
The second method is carried out in accordance with the following algorithm:
- Start the engine and let it run for 10...15 minutes, then turn it off.
- Remove the necessary elements in order to get to the expansion tank with coolant.
- Without removing the lid from it, disconnect one of the pipes on the tank. If the system has been aired, then air will begin to escape from it.
- As soon as the antifreeze flows out, immediately replace the pipe and secure it.
Be careful when doing this, as the temperature of the antifreeze can be high and reach +80. . .90°C. The third method of how to remove an air lock from the system must be done as follows:
- It is necessary to place the car on a hill so that its front part is higher. It is important that the radiator cap is higher than the rest of the cooling system. At the same time, put the car on the handbrake, or better yet, put chocks under the wheels .
- Let the engine run for 10...15 minutes.
- Unscrew the caps from the expansion tank and radiator.
- Periodically press the accelerator pedal and add coolant to the radiator. This will cause air to escape from the system. You will notice it by the bubbles. Continue the procedure until all the air is released. In this case, you can turn on the stove to maximum mode. As soon as the thermostat opens the valve completely and very hot air enters the cabin, it means that the air has been removed from the system. At the same time, you need to check for bubbles coming out of the coolant.
As for the last method, on machines with an automatically turned on cooling system fan, you don’t even have to over-gas, but calmly let the engine warm up and wait until the fan turns on. At the same time, the movement of the coolant will increase, and under the influence of circulation, air will leave the system. In this case, it is important to add coolant to the system in order to prevent airing again.
As you can see, the methods of how to get rid of an air lock in the engine cooling system are quite simple. They are all based on the fact that air is lighter than liquid. Therefore, it is necessary to create conditions under which the air lock will be forced out of the system under pressure.
However, it is best not to let the system reach that state and take preventive measures in a timely manner. We will talk about them further.
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Let's sum it up
Air entering the vehicle heater can negatively affect not only the functionality of the heater and comfort in the cabin, but also affect the operation of more significant units and parts in the car. Timely detection and elimination of the problem will help you save on the purchase of expensive heater components and repairs to the car’s power unit.
Be very attentive to even seemingly frivolous problems in the operation of your vehicle. Simple preventive measures to care for the interior heating elements will have a positive impact on the functionality of the vehicle as a whole.
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General recommendations for prevention
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the level of antifreeze in the cooling system . Always monitor it and top up if necessary. Moreover, if you have to add coolant very often, then this is the first call indicating that something is wrong with the system, and additional diagnostics are necessary to identify the cause of the malfunction. Also check for stains from antifreeze leaks. It is better to do this in the inspection hole.
Try to use the antifreeze recommended by your car manufacturer. Make purchases in trusted, licensed stores, minimizing the likelihood of purchasing a counterfeit. The fact is that low-quality coolant can gradually evaporate during repeated heating, and instead of it, an air plug forms in the system. Therefore, do not neglect the manufacturer's requirements.
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conclusions
After using each method, it is necessary to check the functionality of the heater and the temperature of the engine - the engine should not overheat.
Of course, the most effective method is a complete replacement of antifreeze and it is suitable in cases where the liquid has completely exhausted its service life and requires urgent replacement. Moreover, it is better to do this as soon as possible so as not to cause the appearance of new air jams. Good luck to everyone and clean antifreeze in the engine!
Possible reasons for the appearance of air in the system
Air plugs can form due to:
- If the tightness of the system is broken at the joints of the tubes and hoses, air enters through them, resulting in a plug.
- As the water pump loses its seal due to gasket damage, the components will suck in air as a result.
- With a violation of the process of filling and adding antifreeze. A one-time change of fluid contributes to the formation of air bubbles in the tubes; starting the engine will provoke the combination of small air bubbles into one large air jam.
- On VAZ 2109 cars, the air in the system is accompanied by the formation of antifreeze bubbling.