Re: Clarification of the Coolant Self Bleeding Kit

["therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx>]

Point taken. Technicly no car *needs* a bleeder kit installed. You can bleed 
the system as per the Workshop Manual, and not have any problems at all. 
The Self Bleeder Kit is only reccomended as a tool to make things both easier 
and faster for you when you are bleeding the system. It is obviously not 
intergal to the function of the cooling system itself, and is not intended by 
anyone to be a repair method for any type of cooling system problems. 
However, using it in no way makes you any less of a capable and competent 
mechanic.

There are many tools out there that one doesn't need to complete their repair 
and mantenace tasks, but they make things easier. After all, you don't need a 
pilot bearing tool to install a clutch, but it certainly makes things a helluva lot 
easier. The same goes for other tools used, and even accessories. After all, 
many things are not technicly nessisary to install on the DeLorean. The 
biggest thing that comes to mind is the spring for the fuel pump pick-up hose 
in the gas tank... Not "nessisary" per se, but does indeed make things much 
easier. That is the main point of the kit. But, there is another.

Things will happen, Murphy's Law is inevitable. It could be that an alternator 
belt breaks, we don't notice it, and over heat the engine. Or in my case, the 
stupid little clip on the otterstat falls off, and purges the system of coolant 
entirely! And not only do things such as these happen at the worst possible 
time, they'll also occur in the worst possible places! A tow truck is only 
nessisary when onsite repairs are not possible. And if I can fix that otterstat 
with an oversized hose clamp, and refill the system right then and there, I 
have no desire to disconnect the radiator hose up front to bleed the system 
when I'm stuck in the middle of the BFE, or worse yet, the ghetto. No, I want to 
repair things, and be on my way ASAP. Especially since tow trucks, and 
insurance companies are so damn unreliable. I personally was stuck in the 
middle of a little chunk of hell here in Vegas near D Street & Bonanza for over 
8 hours because of an idiot phone rep @ Farmers Insurance call center! So 
needless to say, tow trucks are good, but I don't put absolute faith in them, nor 
their dependability. So if the bleeder kit can save me a bunch of time for both 
routine mantenance, and emergency repair time, then it may not be nessisary, 
but is indeed well worth it!

-Robert
vin 6585 "X"



--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "David Teitelbaum" <jtrealty@xxxx> wrote:
> My point in saying the bleeder kit isn't required is that on the cars 
> I have worked on, once bled they don't need any further attention 
> except to watch the level.
<SNIP>