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?

[Batman722]

fill to the top and put the radiator cap on. Run the car for 5 min (until warm) then check the puke tank to see if it needs more coolant. Add more coolant into the system using the puke tank. Make sure you burp the hoses to free trapped air.

coolant capacity for ST 1.8
M/T....6.4 QTS (6.1L)
A/T....7.0 QTS (6.6L)

dumb question time...
is there coolant on the ground (leaking from a hose or anything) ?

[JoKeRkId613]

Ok, thanks for the feedback. What's a puke tank? Is it the little white container to the right of it? It says "Low" and "Full"? How do I know if it needs more coolant? It has to be on full? I can't put more than that, right? Should I replace the thermostat? How do I? Thanks!

[Batman722]

replacing the thermostat is easy. You should of done it when you had the hoses off and the radiartor empty. To change the thermostat, follow the lower hose from the radiator to the motor. That connects to the thermostat housing. 2 bolts hold it on. You can see the bolts from the driver's side of the car. 10mm or 12mm I can't remember. Unbolt, replace thermo and gasket, bolt on. Since you already filled the system, coolant will spill everywhere (easier to do it when it's empty)

puke tank is slang for the refill tank which is to the right of the radiator. I'm glad you figured out what LOW and FULL mean, I didn't want to slap you upside the head , yes you fill the coolant in there. Just check it after driving a while, then in the morning when it is cold. Fill if it needs it.

[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?

[madmods]

The very truth about coolant is, that its not coolant but antifreeze. Its purpose is to not allow the water to turn to ice so you do not destroy your engine during the winter. I use little to no coolant during the summer because "coolant" is crap for removing heat. Water is so much more sufficient. I would also recommend you use distilled water.

[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.

[94GT]

Yeah, you don't want to run straight coolant. First off, it probably doesn't cool your engine as well like Madmods was saying. Also, it's thicker than water, which makes your water pump have to work harder to push it through the system. This can lead to an earlier water pump failure. It's an easy fix. Just use the drain valve on the passenger side of the radiator at the bottom. It faces towards the engine bay and it's plastic (probably still white since it's new). Drain some out, add in some water at the top to replace it (make sure the engine's cold when you do this), and after running it for a while, use one of those testers I mentioned to see if the mixture is right. If it isn't, just keep going...