Great advice on the hot coolant---its actually much hotter than indicated since its under pressure---my guess is it approaches 245* or more.

I've always bled off the cooling system by first filling the radiator & block as much as possible. Start the engine, the level should drop as the water pump pushes coolant through the block. Refill coolant while engine is still running, replace radiator cap, sit inside the van and watch as the temp gauge rises. Now's a good time to turn the heater to High, blower motor also on High---warm air through the vents says coolant is at least circulating through the heater core.

The temp should climb slightly above normal operating temp then drop quite a bit---thermostat has opened and coolant is flowing---CAREFULLY and SLOWLY turn the radiator cap just enough to vent built up pressure. Once the radiator is under atmospheric pressure time to add more coolant, up to the recommended level in the radiator.

IF the level seems full raise the RPM's to at least 1500-1700 (helper) while watching the radiator level. Any trapped air will be pushed out because the water pump is working better, the level will drop slightly if air was present.

Raise and lower the RPM's several times during this step to make sure no more air is trapped in the block. Once the coolant level remains constant replace and secure radiator cap.

That should work for any of the older engines---always has for me.


HTH