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]

Buying straight coolant is fine, but you just need to put in as much water as you do coolant. It's more expensive because it isn't "cut" yet, like the premixed stuff. You can buy a cheap coolant tester to see if it's mixed at the right ratio. It's a little eyedropper with some floats in it that indicate what your current ratio is. Worst case scenario, you drain some coolant and replace it with water, no big deal. I don't think the head gasket itself is that much, but the labor to swap it is. It's probably not that, though. If you get in a real bind, just take your car to a shop and have them drain, flush and refill the system. I hate doing it myself, and the only reason I did it last time was because I was replacing the radiator myself so I had to. Good luck and keep posting on this thread if you need more advice.

[JoKeRkId613]

will anything bad happen if i put in straight coolant? thats what im using right now. theres a little bit of water in there, but most of it is straight coolant.