Heater Hose replacement & bleeding cooling system
 

I need to replace the heater hoses from the engine to the heater core on the passenger side.

is it necessary to bleed the cooling system as there is no bleed valve? If so, can it be done without special tools?

Thanks.

Yes. Might as well drain and refill.

to fill the system nissan recommends the use of an "airlift" tool:

https://www.amazon.com/UView-550000-.../dp/B0002SRH5G

You can and will need to bleed the air out of the system. The tool listed above makes it much easier. If you don't get all the air out, bad things can and will happen.

so not an diy without the expensive tools...

it's strange that nissan didn't have a bleed valve for the cooling system.... :mad:

curious what's the typical cost to replace both of the inlet/outlet heater hoses and the main radiator hoses properly at the shops?

The tool isn't that expensive when you compare it to dealer markup. I was quoted over $400 for a coolant flush. That included fluid but did not include any replacement hoses or other parts.

curious if you can replace the plastic connector on the passenger side heater hoses with a connection with a bleeder? I think it is 3/4 inch connector.

Buying that tool will save you some time and make the process easier, however, you could bleed the system without it, but will take time/patience.

After replacing hoses and filling back up with coolant, you could leave the radiator cap off and start the engine and you should see bubbles from where the cap goes and coolant level drop. Turn off engine and fill with coolant and restart engine and repeat process until no more bubbles. Someone correct me if I am wrong, however, I’ve done this method before and seemed to work fine.

thanks, would this method work for air in the heater core?