Car repair question...?

Question

I took my car to be repaired and they said the water outlet bleeder valve has gone bad and needs to be replaced. They said with parts and labor it would cost $358. Is this reasonable? Or is this a part I can pick up at Auto Zone and have my husband replace? He is mechanically inclined.

Answer 1

Most GM vehicles have a bleeder valve in the outlet.This is a small screw type valve located in the water outlet housing which also contains the thermostat.It is easy to spot given that this is where the upper radiator hose attatches to.Yes,your husband can replace it.I would purchase the part from the dealer making sure that he gets the gasket also if the vehicle requires it.If it does not require it,have him get GMS(general motors sealer)from the dealer.(I would advise getting the parts from a different dealer than the one you had the vehicle serviced at).The parts department can give you a print out of the part in question which will ease in the replacement of the part.Just remember that the mating parts should be free of any oil or grease before attatching.It's a good idea to replace the thermostat while everything is apart.It's about $13.00.After it is replaced,run the vehicle so it reaches operating tempurature(about 210 degrees)slowly open the bleeder screw to release air pockets in the system,close the screw and keep doing this until just coolant is released.Do not over tighten the screw as you will have the same problem you had before.Check your coolant level at the overflow bottle at the "hot level" and top off as required when the vehicle cools down.(TAKE THE VEHICLE SERIAL NUMBER TO THE DEALER WHEN YOU GO TO GET PARTS)This will save a lot of aggravation..................................................................

Answer 2

Some front wheel drive cars and rear engine cars have a bleeder valve to let air out of the cooling / heater system. The part itself is usually not expensive, but the labor to replace it can be costly if many parts must be removed to get to the part. On some of these cars the radiator, thermostat, etc. are buried in the front of the car, hidden under an AC compressor, etc. and take a long time to remove.

Ask the mechanic to show you where the part is and describe the disassembly and reassembly work necessary to replace it and then decide if two or three hours of labor seems reasonable. If you can't see the part at all then two or three hours labor is probably reasonable!

The earlier writer mentioned the Chevy 3.1L. Here is a photo of the thermostat housing off that engine (in a Lumina). I think a bleeder valve is visible: http://info.rockauto.com/Airtex/Detail.html?AO5107.jpg

Answer 3

Man I love it when people have no idea what they're talking about yet feel compelled to put in their 2 cents (Not to flame above posters, but.... "I've never heard of that"??). Then you have to slam mechanics like we're all theives.. On to the question.. need a lot more information.. are you driving a 747 or a mini? Secondly, yes, they're are bleeder valves in water outlets, Chrylser used them, GM used them and I'm sure others did as well. The Chrysler ones are sometimes plastic and I know from experience that these are not cheap and the last time I tried to get one it was a dealer only item. Some aftermarket may have started to make these I'm not sure.. call 'em up.. if its a Chrysler, they're easy, but if you're talking about a Chev 3.1 or 3.4... I'd leave it for the shop to do.

Answer 4

It's not part of the radiator because the radiator doesn't and shouldn't have water in it. Honestly, I have nbever heard of such a part. The ony thing I can think of is that it's part of the water pump, but thats a sealed part, shoudn't have a valve on it, and a water pump only cost's maybe 50-60 bucks and takes 30 minutes to replace. You could get a rebuilt transmission for 358 bucks, and thats a hell of a lot bigger than some valve. Don't do it. I think it's a made up part.

Answer 5

As I do not know what vehicle you are referring to, let me say this--- Some vehicles DO have a COOLANT bleed valve, this USUALLY is located somewhere in the cylinder head, and is used to,you guessed it, bleed trapped air from the cylinder head( and the block) it most often resembles the bleed valve on a brake cylinder, or caliper. I do not know your particular problem, but I do not think it SHOULD cost that much to repair, UNLESS it is very difficult to get to, this may be the case(I'm assuming,of course your car is front wheel drive), and the repair is rather involved. Use your computer's search bar, type in auto coolant bleed valve, scroll down till you see the heading; comments on how to 'burp' your cars cooling system, click on this heading, and walla!, you now have some very good info for your perusal! Hope this helps, and good luck!

Answer 6

He needs to find a new shop like, 4 1/2 months ago. Why would he wait so long? No shop in the world is so busy that it would take them 5 months to look at and fix a car. NEVER.

Answer 7

that sound like scam to me.
the radiator bleeder valve is good if not loosing coolant.

ask You husband to check (with cold engine ) where is the leak ,if You have any.

replace radiator cap.

Answer 8

if ur losing coolant if theres no visible leak u probably have a pressure leak so try to tighten the hose clips first

Answer 9

If that is at the bottom of the radiator, a new radiator would cost less than that.

Answer 10

I would think it's worth a try to let your husband have a go at it.