Radiator Issues! :-[, Keeps burning/losing coolant Options

[JoKeRkId613]

Okay, here's my situation:
1. Blew my OEM radiator(cracked)
2. Temporarily replaced with a Honda radiator
3. Just put in Koyo radiator(looks just like the factory one, just brand new)

-I bought a crap load of coolant.
-First thing I did when all hoses were connected and the car was off(which i think was a mistake...there was no coolant in the radiator at all...it was flushed) was that i poured in coolant until the radiator filled to the top.
-I put the radiator cap on.
-The car hasn't overheated at all.

Currently, I'm running without the radiator cap because I was told I was supposed to have the car on and let it reach a certain temperature before i poured in the coolant. So I'm letting the car take in as much coolant and then refilling so it circulated correctly.

QUESTION:
What shoulda been the proper way to do this from the start? My car still steams every once in a while and it loses coolant a lot and i have to refill. HELP PLEASE!
I have a new thermostat, perhaps I should change it? How is this done...anyone got pics?

[94GT]

First off, did you buy a coolant/water mix, or did you just pour straight coolant in there? It's supposed to be cut 50% with water. Second, when you drain the system, there will be a lot of air in it. Once you've got it filled, you should just keep topping off the reservoir until it stops pulling coolant from it. Beyond that if it's still losing coolant and there's no sign of a leak, then you might have a blown head gasket.

[JoKeRkId613]

First off, did you buy a coolant/water mix, or did you just pour straight coolant in there?  It's supposed to be cut 50% with water.  Second, when you drain the system, there will be a lot of air in it.  Once you've got it filled, you should just keep topping off the reservoir until it stops pulling coolant from it.  Beyond that if it's still losing coolant and there's no sign of a leak, then you might have a blown head gasket.
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:-/ I bought straight coolant. It was more expensive so I thought it would be better...
Head gasket...is that expensive?