Amazon has
15-Piece OEMTOOLS No-Spill Coolant Funnel Kit (87009) for
$13.85.
Shipping is free w/ Prime or on $25+ orders.
Thanks to community member
HardKOR for finding this deal.
Key Features:- Includes 5 Direct Fit Radiator Adapters to Fit Most Passenger Vehicles and Light Trucks
- Simply Select the Correct Adapter, Attach the Funnel and Fill
- Includes 45° Angled and 5" Extension Adapters for Accessing Hard-to-Reach Spots
- Fluid Stopper to Prevent Drips and Spills when Removing from the Filler Neck
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52 Comments
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Certain vehicles cooling systems arent perfectly designed....my 2001 Frontier, the highest point in the system was well over the top of the radiator and hoses. Physics is pretty constant, so I couldnt really get coolant to the top. Even with the air relief plug open, coolant still couldnt quite there just from pouring it in.
This funnel fixed the huge PITA that caused. Im sure the vacuum setup would be easier but Im not a shop, so a $20.00 funnel was perfectly fine. Left plenty of coolant in the funnel, started the truck and let it run. Did the factory recommended procedure (run the engine up to 2000 RPM, back down to idle, repeat a few times) and eventually stopped getting air popping back into the funnel. Then I was all done.
It did have an overflow bottle, but to drive and wait for all the air to come out is dangerous IMHO....the temp gauge might say "cool enough" but there would still be hot spots of air/no coolant within places in the engine, which could potentially cause damage.
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I can't imagine any competent shop is going to use one of these. Takes too long for the car to warm up & thermostat to open. Vacuum filling devices (such as this https://www.amazon.com/UView-5500...B0002SRH
This is still a useful tool to have tho, and you can always fill with vacuum and bleed using this.
I can't imagine any competent shop is going to use one of these. Takes too long for the car to warm up & thermostat to open. Vacuum filling devices (such as this https://www.amazon.com/UView-5500...B0002SRH5G [amazon.com] ) fill the system quickly and entirely leaving no air pockets, no need to 'burp' the system/wait for thermostat to open.
No mater how the cooling system is filled, the system should be brought up to operating temperature and pressure with the radiator cap in place before the vehicle leaves the shop. Feeling the temperature of the upper radiator hose will tell you whether the thermostat is opening.
Burping air from cooling systems has obviously worked well for a long time, but I think vacuum filling is safer and more foolproof for today's engines with large aluminum heads. That's probably why my car's factory service manual says to do it that way.
Dam CA prop65 bs.
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Allowing atmospheric pressure to force coolant into an evacuated system is going to do an excellent job of completely filling the system without any significant air pockets. You can't have large air pockets, after all, if you've removed nearly all the air before introducing the coolant. Vacuum filling works fine even though the thermostat is closed. Coolant can enter the engine from both sides of the thermostat, and thermostats have bleed holes that allow some coolant to pass through even when closed.
No mater how the cooling system is filled, the system should be brought up to operating temperature and pressure with the radiator cap in place before the vehicle leaves the shop. Feeling the temperature of the upper radiator hose will tell you whether the thermostat is opening.
Burping air from cooling systems has obviously worked well for a long time, but I think vacuum filling is safer and more foolproof for today's engines with large aluminum heads. That's probably why my car's factory service manual says to do it that way.
I've always done it the old fashioned way but would be intrigued if I could utilize the A/C system vacuum pump that I already own. I'll have to look into finding the proper fittings...
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