Hey guys,

I would try a search, but cant find with new boards. Just did a flush this past weekend, after filling back up, I let car idle to operating temp, and atopped off coolant again after t-stat opend up and level dropped. Car never has had a history of overheating, nor has it now (it was about 50 outside when I ran it). I took the car on about a 50 mile run, temp gauge very stable, about the first hash mark. Checked coolant level in radiator next day, and it was down quite a bit. Reserve tank had gotten filled when flush was complete b4 the run, but the cooling system didnt appear to draw from it. I topped off radiator again to the fill neck, ran it for about 10-20 min, and again, down a bit, albeit not as much as previously described. Reserve tank now was above the capacity I topped it off at. All my extra coolant went there? Where should the coolant level be in radiator when cold? Do I have a potential leak somewhere that I need to diagnose? Car is 100%staock. Any help, tricks, etc... much appreciated! (Im starting my auto Tech Train classes, so I am still learning!!!)

 

How much coolant have you put in? These systems require ~4 gallons (I forget the actual number, I've long since modified my cooling system).

 

I put in almost 2 gallons, knowing that I was not draining out that much using only the radiator petcock. How long does/should it take to balance out the level after a flush?

If I remember correctly, cooling sys capacity is 17.2 qts, so yea over 4 gal!!

 

It took me a few run cycles to completely fill mine. Granted I have a slightly different cooling setup, the idea is the same. When the engine is completely cool, take off the pressure cap, fill the radiator and turn the engine on. As the engine runs, it will draw coolant into the engine and you can continue to add coolant via the pressure cap.