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[nij]

just put a new hbv on and new bendy pipe which goes to the hbv from the rear of the engine (what a nightmare to do!!), when I finally finished I topped up the header tank with water and left the car running for 10 or so mins with the cap off to get the air out of the system and it all seemed fine however when I give it a run to the petrol station half a mile away it got to hot and when I checked out the header tank it had not lost any water but when I slowly unsrewed the cap the header tank seemed to fill up to the brim by itself, is there a bleed nipple I dont know about somewhere???

[hotel21]

50/50 mix of coolant is the desired strength, 'Red' coolant is the additive of choice. VX own on trade club is quite reasonably priced.  It takes (I think) around 5.5 litres of red to make the correct ratio.  I normally drain and refill with the 5.5 litres neat red then top up with water, that way I know the correct ammount of red is in the engine.

Assuming the mix is right, then....  From cold.

In car heater on max heat, fans on full.  Expansion cap off, water level upto the recommended mark.  Keep cap off throughout the following.
Start car and watch for water entereing the expansion tank from narrow bore hose to the extreme left side.
Regularly 'burp' the large hose beside the battery as the engine warms and coolant circulates to ensure air bubbles are forced into the header.
Keep an eye on the coolant level and ensure it remains up to the mark.  Air bubbles will subsequently reduce the level somewhat.
Wait until the fans cut in and check that the temp guage is working.  If it goes too hot then soemthings not quite right.
Allow to cool.   Repeat the above and retry........
When cold, top up expansion tank again, replace cap and drive as normal.
Temp normally sits sub 95 degrees on pre and mini facelifts, a little cooler for some reason on the facelifts it would appear.  Not outrageous for it to rise towards the 100 if car is being pressed but the fans should cut in and reduce it back to normal.

HtH

B

[nij]

cheers, i'll have another go at it in the morning  

[Markjay]

As said above.

The Omega cooling system is self bleeding, so no bleed nipple. It will need a few top-ups (usually 2-3) until the coolant level settles.

If you still suspect an air lock, you could try removing the cap and pressing the various cooling pipes to expel any air, but this would not normally be needed.