What is Reddit's opinion of
EPAuto Spill Proof Radiator Coolant Filling Funnel Kit?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
31 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
A no spill coolant funnel. It saves mess, burns and aggravation. Just fill it half full and let the air burp out while you tend to other things.
EPAuto Spill Proof Radiator Coolant Filling Funnel Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I40ZQWE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1q3zAb7ZPJXM1
I had a similar issue once after doing a coolant flush. The car had one of those stupid ass pressurized reservoirs and no cap on the radiator. I thought I bled the system thoroughly enough but, NOPE!
Took it for a test drive around the neighborhood and that needle started to rise after less than a minute. I shut it down immediately. Fortunately, I was still on my street.
I let things cool down and then tried another bleeding process. Come to find out, I had a pretty massive air bubble as during my second bleed, a big gulp of coolant finally got sucked down. After that she was good.
I've found that using one of these makes the coolant bleeding process so much easier and cleaner.
Never had an issue again after using this.
Watch a video on burping your cooling system, and get a kit like this one to help. Air gets into the system to replace the coolant volume that spilled out when you changed the t-stat, and the air blocks the flow of coolant through the system. That results in the heater core not having any heat and preventing getting the hot coolant from getting from the engine block to the radiator where it could get cooled properly.
Get the Gates brand water pump.
Don't use that shitty "universal" coolant. I actually recommend flushing really well and switching to G05. Much better for systems that mix Iron and Aluminum components.
Get this fill kit. Makes refilling and mixing so much easier.
I always used distilled water. Some will say it doesn't matter and others will say to only use distilled. It's $1 or so a gallon for distilled water so what's an extra $10?
However, the process of draining and flushing is pretty cut and dry, but the refill process can be tricky when dealing with air pockets.
I suggest purchasing one of these. I have never experienced air pockets using this. Makes the refill process quick and clean as well.
https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE
+1 for u/BeastandTheBrat , only thing i can add is during the whole process squeeze the upper radiator hose to generate fluid movement, it'll help create a vacuum that'll get the fluid moving faster and getting the air out should be a breeze.
There are special tool kits that help with the process but are fairly useless in situations like this where the access to the radiator and tank is readily available and you're not working with a big engine with large coolant capacity.
If you’re worried about it, buy one of these and never worry about it again, it’s become one of my most used tools: https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?crid=2621F10N5VLEP&keywords=coolant+burp+kit&qid=1650473374&sprefix=coolant+bur%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGV...
I know it's also a much smaller capacity, but in the case of vehicles I've also been spoiled by funnels with internal plungers to re-seal the flow that are used to bleed air out of coolant systems. eg: https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE/ref=sr\_1\_2?crid=4KVCJS9TL581
I learned this the hard way when I was flushing the system a while back. The best method of burping that I could come up with was letting it idle on an incline for 45 min with one of those radiator spill proof funnel kits attached to the radiator.
Replace all the radiator hoses and thermostat when you replace the radiator. And a no spill funnel is a fantastic purchase.
EPAUTO Spill Proof Radiator Coolant Filling Funnel Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I40ZQWE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_R35WZJ89J2CK8J8HEDMD?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Probably air-locked. Did you use one of these funnels to help pressurize past the thermostat? Also make sure you installed the thermostat in the correct direction. Coolant funnel
Bleed the coolant. The heater core hoses are one of the highest points in the cooling system so air tends to get trapped. I use this and it makes the process a lot easier. It also helps to put the truck on an incline. My 2011 has 143k and it works great.
Get a spill proof funnel kit and then search for "WRX radiator burp" on Youtube.
You should really get yourself a Coolant Funnel instead of running the engine and watching the fluid level lower in the radiator and adding fluid.
You run the risk of introducing air into the system and not bleeding it out.
Yeah for the marginal cost, it's cheap insurance. Drain, flush with distilled water by doing a couple fill/burb/drain cycles and then fill with OE coolant to spec. One of these funnels will make that job a LOT easier to ensure you get all the air out each time. That one looks like it has only domestic adapters, make sure you get one that has the right metric adapter for a Subaru.
Actually a tiny leak in a radiator hose can allow air to get sucked into the system as the system cools off overnight and it draws a vacuum. Then you have a pocket of air in the system. The overflow level will still look correct because the air is displacing the coolant that leaked out now. So you think it's full but it's not.
Seal any and all leaks and then learn to use one of these funnels to properly bleed the system.
I got one at o'reilly's...but in full disclosure it was to replace another one the previous owner purchased there fairly recently so I'm not sure it the first on was defective.
You'll also want a radiator funnel kit:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I40ZQWE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_T9tUFbCH8C6K6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
The job is pretty straight forward. One word of warning: Do not leave for a few minutes while your car is running and you are bleeding air out of the radiator hose...you may get radiator fluid all over the place. Don't ask me how I know :(
Replace the water pump and metal tube that comes off it. It's cheap and if the coolant is brown then the bearings have almost certainly been damaged.
Also, get one of these. It makes filling and burping so much easier.
Are you buying it pre-mixed? If not, be sure to get a gallon or two of distilled water from the grocery store to mix with the antifreeze. Otherwise, calcium and other minerals in tap water can (over time) increase wear on the engine and seals.
You can then reuse that water jug to store and transport some of the coolant. If you have an old milk jug or maybe some half gallon liquor bottles, that should be enough to hold it all. You could even buy a couple other water jugs and just pour them out. They're only like 88 cents each.
Also, don't forget to burp the air out of the coolant once you've refilled it. I know its extra money but one of the funnels makes the job a lot cleaner and easier. I'd consider buying one if I were you.
To help bleed it, get a funnel kit.
https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE
This put the fill coolant level above the highest point on the engine, so you can let it properly come up to temp and squeeze the radiator hoses and get that last bit of air out without splashing coolant all over the place. It's really worth it.
Also test your coolant.
https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Deluxe-Antifreeze-Coolant-Hydrometer/dp/B00YEZILQC
If you have the mix wrong, it will boil at lower temps (on the engine hot spots) and cause bubbles and look just like a blown head gasket.
To help bleed it, get a funnel kit.
https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE
This put the fill coolant level above the highest point on the engine, so you can let it properly come up to temp and squeeze the radiator hoses and get that last bit of air out without splashing coolant all over the place. It's really worth it.
Also test your coolant.
https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Deluxe-Antifreeze-Coolant-Hydrometer/dp/B00YEZILQC
If you have the mix wrong, it will boil at lower temps (on the engine hot spots) and cause bubbles and look just like a blown head gasket.
You want something like this: https://www.amazon.ca/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE/
There's about a hundred variations that are the same thing. They all work and they all make it WAY easier.
Price check coolant at the dealer versus getting the proper stuff at an autoparts store.
The kit I bought needed a little persuasion to fit but sealed fine after.
Don't let it bubble over, get yourself one of these:
Get yourself one of these. You may be able to get one from an auto parts store.
This video will show you everything that you need to know on how to bleed your coolant system. However, your vehicle is a drive my wire throttle, instead of manually opening the throttle to raise the RPMs, you must push on the gas pedal.
Much of it depends on the vehicle. Take your brake fluid resevoir; it will have lines on the plastic (presumably) resevoir that indicates Min and Max. Those are difficult to overfill or underfill. The type of fluid is normally printed or stamped into the cap (most vehicles use DOT 3, but DOT 5/5.1 is becoming more prevalent). Same thing goes for clutch fluid, coolant, etc. While there are specific amounts that each vehicle has that are listed in the owner's manual, AllData, Mitchel1, Chilton's, Hayne's, or the manufacturer's website, most vehicles are easy to fill to the correct amount.
For instance, I have no idea how much rear differential fluid my Miata, Dakota, or Outback require, but I know that while I'm filling it if the fluid starts coming out of the fill plug, the differential is full regardless of the specificity required. Same goes for coolant in all the vehicles; when the funnel is full and the air is bled, cap it off, put the rest in the overflow resevoir, and seal the radiator up.
So, the amount is necessarily a big deal (unless it's engine oil, transmission fluid) and easily handled, but the type of fluid matters more. Mix green coolant with GM orange and you'll turn it into pudding. Mix different weights of oil, or put a different weight of oil into your engine than what's required by the manufacturer, and you can have seal problems, wear problems, fuel mileage problems.
You can't always be sure exactly what they're putting into the vehicle (unless you bring the fluid to them and require they use it), but bringing your car to a reputable technician will make the difference. Don't bring an old square body pickup to a Volvo dealer as they likely won't always have the necessary fluids, in the same vein, don't bring a new Ferrari to a small town shop that only works on American cars from the 90's. Using your best judgement will help, sometimes you'll get it wrong, same thing with techs. Sometimes we'll get the wrong fluid weight, amount, or whatever put into your vehicle, people make mistakes.
Dude, I went through the same thing recently. I used prestone radiator flush and had bubbles similar to yours. At first I thought that the flushing material is still in the system. I flushed nearly 5 times, and still the same. Did some research and knew that it can be caused by the trapped air in the system.
So I used a funnel, or u can use something like a spill free radiator funnel kit which makes it the highest point in the cooling system, thus easier for the air bubbles to escape. I used a funnel and filled water through that and let the car to run for about 20 mins. I can't see any more bubbles after that and everything was good.
Btw, if ur head gasket is leaking, then its a whole different story and the symptom is the same.
This is the kit I was talking about https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE
This video might be helpful for you https://youtu.be/5eNYAIrvq2g
This is incorrect, and can lead to engine overheat.
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Proper steps for coolant flush are as follows:
Items needed: coolant, radiator filling kit
Insure integrity of thermostat, both upper and lower hoses should be hot after car has been running
Remove cap from radiator
Drain existing coolant through radiator drain cap, lower radiator hose, and upper hose.
Seal radiator drain, put hoses back
Connect filling kit to radiator (using correct fitting)
Fill with coolant until 2/3 of the funnel is also full
Start engine
Allow the vehicle to 'bubble' until bubbles are seemingly finished
(always keep fluid in the funnel)
Increase RPM and decrease multiple times
allow engine to bubble
When bubbling has finished, seal radiator cap
fill overflow tank to top
Test drive in the area with heater on
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Filling kit example,
The safest way to do it is to buy yourself about 5-6 gallons of distilled water and then run the car through multiple flushes. You keep doing it until you get a clarity level that you're comfortable with.
You aren't going to get every ounce of water out of the system but you'll at least know that the only thing that could be left is some distilled water in the system. Which that way, you don't run the risk of mixing.
I've also found that on the last drain, I let the system drain until it stop dripping completely. I also removed the lower radiator hose on the last drain as well.
You'd be surprised how long it can drip for. But you'd also be surprised at just how much that dripping adds to the amount being drained at the end.
When I was doing my 98 4Runner recently, I had to flush the system 6-7 times to get all the old coolant out. When I let it drain to a slow drip, I was only ending up with a little under a gallon and a half. While the system holds around 2.3 gallons.
On my last drain, I removed the lower radiator hose from the block and let it drip from the block and from the radiator. It probably dripped for 3 hours. When I finally checked at the end, to my surprise, I had over 2 gallons of drained water.
EDIT: Also, get one of these funnel systems. It makes the process much easier to burp the system of air and keeps the process very clean and spill free. I wish I had purchased one sooner.
https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE
Burp your coolant. Looks like air... have you done any service with coolant?
https://www.amazon.com/EPAuto-Radiator-Coolant-Filling-Funnel/dp/B01I40ZQWE
For a casual user instead of Lisle can I save $10 by going with cheaper:
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