DriveitlikeIstoleit

I posted this in the Gen IV external engine, then saw a sticky that said LS1 stuff needs to go here. I deleted the other thread to clean things up a bit...

I've searched all over the forums and the internet and am at a total loss. I read a technique in here where you need 3 (possibly 2 people to bleed the system) quick. I didn't have the resources, so I tried doing it the old fashioned way (fill reservoir, turn wheel to left with car off the ground, top off, start engine, refill if low... etc.) The problem comes when I start my car. The system completely sucks up the fluid from the reservoir and turns the fluid to foam since it's getting circulated with the low level of fluid... it foams so bad that I have to put the cap on so it doesn't overflow. I have to wait about 4 hours before the fluid will return to normal and then I'm back to step one (turn wheel to left) and huge air bubbles come out. If I go through all the steps again, it ends up with the same result of the fluid being completely sucked up and turning to foam.

I had problems with the cooler... I line blew completely off and I'm assuming most fluid was purged out in the process. I eliminated the POS cooler and installed a 24" frame mount cooler. I have put in at least 32 ounces of fluid, maybe more.

Why does the system keep sucking up the fluid from the reservoir? I can't find anywhere how much fluid the system takes, and assume it now takes more because of the new frame mount cooler. Do I not have enough in there yet, or is something wrong (pump cavitation) that is causing the reservoir to dump all the fluid into the system? There was one time where I was filling the reservoir while the engine was running and I couldn't keep up with the drop in level. I'm at a complete loss. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this for me. The car has been down and out for weeks and I'm tired of riding my motorcycle in 30 degree weather.

P.S. I'm not a car expert by any means, but I'm very mechanically inclined. So please understand that I do all the research and trial/error I can before I come on here to bug you guys for help. Thanks!

LS1-450

iTrader: (33)

Make sure all of the lines are connected to correct location. Keep filling w/ engine running. Turn steering wheel right & left complete lock to lock several times. If too much air purges, just turn it off for a while & then repeat. Eventually, it will be completely filled.

Paul Bell

iTrader: (9)

Please tell us what vehicle this is on.

JRENIGAR

iTrader: (37)

This is easily done if its an fbody car and I assume it will work on other setups also. Jack up the car under the kmember until the wheels are off the ground. Turn the key on to free the wheel lock without starting the engine. Turn the wheel back and fourth lock to lock atleast twenty times while filling the reservoir when needed. Having the wheels off the ground makes it 10 times easier to do when the power steering pump isn't running. Don't run the engine when the system is low as that's why the fluid is foaming up due to cavitation in a dry pump. When the system is holding at full then start it up and turn the wheel back and fourth continuing to add to the level as needed. When it holds at full idling on the jack let the wheels back on the ground and take it for a short drive with lots of turning and sharp braking and accelerating to help work all the extra little air bubbles from the system. When back at home top the system off and enjoy driving it again. BTW I learned this trick when I installed a old Vortech supercharger system on my last fbody car. The pump and reservoir had to be separated and relocated necessitating a fluid refill and system purge. This is the way the Vortech manual said to do it and it worked well for me. Hope this helps.

JRENIGAR

iTrader: (37)

I just noticed you have an aftermarket cooler in the system. How are the in and out lines oriented after you secured the cooler? If they are going in on the bottom you probably have a air pocket that needs to be purged from the system. The hoses need to go in from an upwards angle so the air will travel up the lines and back into the reservoir. Air travels up easier than down when bleeding a system. Once the air is purged you can mount it however you want. Hopefully you understand what Im trying to say. Its hard to explain but easy to do.

DriveitlikeIstoleit

Sorry, I thought you could read my mind ... its an 01 Camaro SS.

I have the car jacked up and I cycle the wheels about ten times. The directions I have tell me to turn all the way to the left, then top off if needed. When I turn them all the way to the left, I get about 3 or 4 huge bubbles come out, but the level is unchanged. After cycling the wheels back and forth about 20 times, the fluid level is unchanged as well. When I start the car, about 3 seconds later, the fluid is completely drained (though I didn't find this out until about 5 times of trying to purge the system of bubbles). Initially, I was just topping off, hopping in my car, and then turning the wheels side to side, which resulted in a whiny pump (as I assume because the fluid was too low).

When I started the process of starting the car and watching the reservoir is when I noticed that it just gobbles up the fluid. I'm assuming that I have to add more fluid, but this is a major PITA. If I let it get too low, I have to wait hours for the foamy fluid to return back to its normal state... partially the reason why this is taking weeks...

I finally found a pretty good resource that says the system takes 32 oz of fluid. Since I've lost some fluid due to it overflowing from the reservoir at times and adding the cooler, I'm hoping my problem is that I just don't have enough fluid yet.

My main concern was that my pump wasn't shot. I didn't know if any of my current issues indicated that. I love being able to fix my own car, but when it's your DD, the fun starts to go away when you're down and out for longer than you expected...

DriveitlikeIstoleit

OK so the fluid is back to its normal state now. I'm not sure if I was fully going lock to lock to get all the air out in previous attempts which could cause the issues I was having... but let's assume I was.

Now I go full right lock and wait, one or two air bubbles come up. Full left lock takes effort the last quarter turn and I can feel the flow of fluid through the wheel as if there's a blockage (air pocket?) and I get about 6 huge bubbles... this has happened every time for about 30 cycles. Despite all this air being "worked out", the reservoir level doesn't go down... making me think the air is being created by the system. All clamps are tight, so I'm thinking that's not the case.

So WTF is going on here? Is there THAT much air in the system, or is something completely F'ed up? All help is needed and appreciated.

apollyon_01

Did you end up figuring it out? I'm having the same problem right now.