Cooling system 2004 v8

[Wabel]

There are a lot of great threads concerning cooling system overhaul, I'm a novice but have gleaned enough to try this myself. However, I do have a few questions.

2004 v8

1. Installing the larger water-outlet gasket 9Z-8590-AB - I've installed the gasket but can't get entire width of the gasket into the water-outlet slot. I'm thinking this is ok because when I install the thermostat housing it will adjust and make the seal. Is this correct or should the entire width fit into the slot and install flush?

2. O-ring part 9Z-8590-BA - I initially purchased this for the water-outlet but it appeared incorrect once I saw the original. Can someone tell me what this o-ring is used for?

3. Coolant Filling - I'm thinking about filling the coolant with the front end still jack-up to help air escape the system. Will this help or is it a bad idea?

4. Bleeding - With the bleeder screw opened a few turns coolant sprays out and its hard for me to tell if I have a steady stream of coolant or if air is still escaping. When opening bleeder valve should I remove the valve screw completely?

5. Bleeding - When bleeding at idle for 5 minutes instructions are "add coolant to the degas bottle as needed to maintain the cold fill MAX" but the degas cap was installed prior to this step. I understand the obvious is to open the cap if I need to add coolant but is it o.k not to reinstall prior and just install when the 5 minutes at idle is over?

 

[joegr]

1 and 2: 2W9Z-8590-AB is the thermostat housing gasket. Some of the gasket must be proud of the slot, or it won't work. (Sounds like you are good here.) It should look exactly like the original.
Are you by any chance looking for the o-ring that goes over the water outlet pipe that the crossover tube/thermostat assembly pushes over? This is W707299-S300. The original o-ring will be somewhat flattened, so it won't look exactly alike. Use lubricant on the o-ring to make sure it doesn't twist.

3: You should be okay doing this, but level to slightly nose down is better.
4: Remove the screw completely for the filling and initial bleed.
5: Put the cap on. Only open it if you have to add coolant. If you overfill to begin with, you may not have to add any more.

 

[Wabel]

Got it thanks Joe!
I'm using 2W9Z-8590-AB but initially purchased 2W9Z-8590-BA from RockAuto. They list "AB" as water-outlet gasket "w/o oil cooler" and "BA" as "with oil cooler". Looking at "BA" now I'm not sure what it's for. I believe all other gaskets are correct based on previous threads info.

 

[joegr]

I don't think that part is used on the LS.

 

[Wabel]

Thanks again Joe.

When bleeding with the bleed valve screw removed is there a trick to minimizing or preventing coolant from pouring out into the engine compartment?

Also, How much coolant should I expect to come out of the valve before I get a steady stream?

 

[joegr]

For the most part, you are just stuck with it. I'd say that you usually lose a glass or so of coolant.
I guess that you could try to find a clear (so you can see when the flow gets steady) hose to fit over the end of the bleeder and direct the coolant into a clean bucket so that you could reuse most of it. I've thought about it, but never tried it.

 

[Wabel]

Thanks. Just finished bleeding the system and will let cool check levels and then take it for a drive. I used a large zip-lock bag to catch the coolant.

 

[Wabel]

Update. Took the car for a short drive and temp stayed around 195. I need to put the car through a little more but I think my overheating problem is fixed. I didn't replace the degas so I will keep my eye on it closely.

Thanks again Joe for taking time to respond to my post