dmotlagh

Hello Arsenii,
I tried the 24 inch hose clamp tool, no luck with that. The space is too tight and tools need to be manually engaged onto the clamp, no space to do that. So open space, the alternative would be to remove the air cleaner assembly and all its vacuum lines, also to remove the monte Carlo bar off and the hood lifting jack (to hold the hood upright if possible).

1. Do you have an instruction sheet going through the steps in removing the air cleaner assembly? I like to avoid any mistakes if possible.
2. Can the hood be held in a vertical position without limits?
3. Does the monte Carlo bar have any critical function?

Thanks

Arsenii

The process is very straightforward, just unscrew all the bolts you see and take all the hoses you see. Might be a good time to check and replace the air filter as well, a lot of people tend to neglect it, causing loss of power and even sand in the engine.

While you can take the gas lifts off and open the hood a bit more, it will cause a lot more hazards than good.

If you refer to the Strut Mount, yes it does, it reinforces the frame of the car, improving handling, as well as strength and longevity of the body, lack of one in some older BMW and Opel cars caused the frames to collapse after a while.

To take it off, simply unscrew the nuts that hold it and take it out.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

dmotlagh

Okay with all, but regarding the Monte Carlo bar. As I see, there is no adjustment or alignment to adhere to. So as long as I remove it and place it back, will that do. Also, what is the torque if important? How often do one replace the air filter? I had it replaced 20k ago.
Thank you.

Arsenii

The strut bar is there for rigidity, it doesn't have any adjustments, and the only requirement for it to function is that it is securely bolted to the car. Not sure of the torque spec, I usually tighten it as far as I can with a relatively small ratchet, about 20-30 lbs-ft should be plenty good.

The air filter is usually replaced on visual basics, the mileage heavily depends on the area you drive in. It can be blown out a few times with compressed air, but a good would be to replace it about once every year.

Hope this helps and best of luck!

dmotlagh

Hello Arsenii
Thanks for help and support. The heat is much better after flushing the heat core. I tried to open the strut bar, but it was extremely tight and had seals on its blots. So, I did the task without removing the bar. However, after draining a gallon of radiator fluid first, I had to remove the air cleaning assembly all the way which helped me to clean the mess under the filter box as well. The, detached the hoses from the heat core by wiggling carefully and attached my longer hoses to work outside of the engine space. Used shop wet-vac on the in-flow side (the top hose) to suck all the fluid then flushed it with alcohol first, then CLR, and industrial vinegar on different intervals with delay allowing for it to work on sludge and gunk. Then vacuumed in reverse flow. At first I couldn't blow through the hose, but at the end, I was able to blow through the hose easily. Before reassembly, I ran distilled water to rinse it, then I cleaned the accumulated mess and replaced the air filter and re-filled the radiator fluid.
I was not sure how to bleed the radiator other than just to let it get hot and refill as needed. If there is a procedure, please let me know. As it is, it blows hot air.

LeX2K

Air will eventually come out on its own sounds like that already happened. In the future use this