Engine air bleeder screw - how to open?

[aintez]

First let me start by saying I'm new. I probably shouldn't be working on cars, but I changed DCCV yesterday and while it was a pain I did it. I have heat. When I tried to bleed air out of coolant system I could not open the engine air bleeder valve. I was able to get a flow of coolant out of the heater air bleeder.
I'm very concerned about air in system. How do I open the engine air bleeder valve? I know the location, it turns with a flat head screwdriver, but does not seem to do anything.
I' have a 2003 LS.
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Telco]

You may need to loosen it with pliers. The plastic screw, and it IS a screw and not some other kind of plug, needs to come all the way out. If nothing is coming out, you need to add coolant until it does. When it comes out in a steady stream, it's bled. It may need to be done again in about a week.

 

[aintez]

I'll try and get pliers in there somehow. The screw head seems to be recessed so I'm not sure how to get any tool in there. Thanks for response.

 

[joegr]

I'll try and get pliers in there somehow. The screw head seems to be recessed so I'm not sure how to get any tool in there. Thanks for response.

Okay, this is confusing. You say the engine air bleed, but you are describing the heater air bleed. Which are we really talking about?

Engine air bleed - big cap (gen II V8) at the front of the engine.

Heater air bleed - small plastic screw on the end of a tube near the degas bottle.

 

[aintez]

I'm talking about the screw/valve on the upper radiator hose toward front of car. I thought this was called the engine air bleed? I was able to open and get coolant flow out of the heater air bleed next to degas bottle. I have the ls v6 2003.

 

[joegr]

Well, if you had said V6...

Anyway, be warned that you may break the plastic. I'd want another radiator hose available before I tried too hard to get the bleeder open.

 

[aintez]

Any chance of getting away with not opening that bleeder or am I asking for some engine damage?

 

[joegr]

Any chance of getting away with not opening that bleeder or am I asking for some engine damage?

You could try to loosen the highest clamp that you can find on that hose and shove a screw driver in at the top to pull the hose such that air can escape there.

My confusion before was that you can get pliers around the heater air bleed screw, but you can't get them around the gen II V6 engine air bleed.

 

[aintez]

I'm going to try screwdriver trick on high point of hose. You are absolutely correct, you can not get pliers on that bleeder screw. Thanks for giving me some ideas. I'm on my way to go and curse at that car and throw some tools.

 

[Telco]

Okay, this is confusing. You say the engine air bleed, but you are describing the heater air bleed. Which are we really talking about?

Engine air bleed - big cap (gen II V8) at the front of the engine.

Heater air bleed - small plastic screw on the end of a tube near the degas bottle.

That would be my mistake. I thought that small rubber tube with the rubber screw in the end was the engine bleed. Sorry about that.

 

[bamaguy]

I just went through this as well, also the v6. My bleeder screw was stripped. A previous owner tried to turn it too far and the stops broke. It only turns a little more than 1/4 turn counterclockwise to bleed, clockwise to re-seal. It will also raise out a bit when you open it to bleed. If it doesn't do that, you need to get the whole plastic upper hose assembly from a dealer. You probably need a new one anyway as they get brittle and can cause other problems.

Hope that helps.