[Don Fox]

If I recall correctly, there is a section of the lower hose, that you can compress a bit. Do that carefully though.
Good luck!

Don

 

[cerd]

Another thing to try is while it is cold and running, hold your hand over the radiator with the cap removed and squeeze the upper. Any additional coolant will go in the overflow and you can feel if there are any bubbles coming out.

 

[Romeroman64]

So I have bled more air out of the system again. Seems to be the same amount (1/2 gal.) every time I bleed it. Upper hose is still collapsing when cold (rad cap not regulating pressure properly). I think it's a faulty radiator with this being the third cap (Gates). Removed & checked the overflow bottle, no restrictions there. If a new radiator doesn't fix the issue, I'm just gonna sell this POS and get another vehicle.
Thanks to all who have tried to help me. This is an awesome forum!

 

[Tin Foil Hat]

Why aren't you letting an experienced mechanic figure this out for you? Selling it won't fix it. Don't spend money on a radiator until a pro looks at it first.

 

[yrngeorge7]

hey could you send me the link to this method, same thing that happened to romero is happening to my 2014 citadel. i’d appreciate it.

 

[Tin Foil Hat]

Read post #4 in this thread. I used a bleeding kit from Harbor Freight.

 

[dodge trucker]

With all the effort put into a complete overhaul of an engine, I never reuse old hoses. 2004 is 20 years old... Hoses are cheap compared to a redo because an old hose blows and causes an overheat.