cooling system air bubbles

[treed2@u.washington.edu (T. Reed)]

Okay, since we're on the topic of cooling systems I'll bring this up..

Basically, I'm suspect that I still have air in my cooling system. The car
runs at normal temp (a hair above the LED) until I get to a stop light.
After 45 seconds or so of sitting, the temp has risen to 3/4 on the gauge.
That never happened before, so I'm guessing there's still an air pocket.

I already burped several huge bubbles out including one that was over a
liter (it took that much water to fill the reservoir back up)

I haven't had a chance to idle the car and watch it warm up to see if/when
the fan is coming on (although it is on when I'm sitting at a stoplight
like that, since I had the blower on defrost and that spins up my rad fan)
because its so freaking rainy, but the radiator fan switch is only 2 years
old anyway and I don't think that's it.

When I have driven for a long time and park and pop the hood, the upper
radiator hose is all bloated like its full of air but if I open the
coolant reservoir partway its pressurized and just dumps coolant
everywhere.

Any foolproof methods you guys use to blow -all- the air out of the
cooling system?

I drilled a 3/32" hole in my thermostat in that part that looked like it
opened (the large disc shaped piece, not the spring-loaded small one at
the other end).. I revved the engine a bunch with the reservoir cap off, I
did a few heating/cooling cycles. I drove the car probably 60 miles
since I draining and filled the coolant.. What else is there?

I hate vw cooling systems..

-Toby