6 gallons
 

Of coolant ???

No wonder my car has never had an inkling of overheating.....I was once trapped in Nashville TN during August (Interstate crash) for over an hour in 100 deg + heat running my AC on high and never once did the needle budge

I remember going through a similar thought process when I did a coolant R/R at about 90K. I tried like heck to talk myself out of P car coolant. I finally bit the bullet and got the stuff from the dealer. My rational was this:

Buy autoparts coolant (Zerex extended life) for $20 x 3.
Buy P car coolant for $34 x 3.

At the end of the day, given the age of the car (and me!), I figured I'd most likely never have to do it again. So the extra $40 for the rest of my ownership sounded pretty cheap.

BTW, I R/R my WP at 128K miles. So much for my plan!

So does anything work smoothly?

Got the water pump and thermostat in. Hoses connected and belt on. Filled system up with distilled water. It only took about 3.5 gals. Ran it with heater on high and fan on high till radiator fans went on all the while checking coolant level. It seemed to stay the same or get higher. I also noticed that the bleeder plug, which was in the closed position, was actually raised to the open position. Turned car off. Cap was hard to open. When I did get it open a water started spewing out from under he cap. Didn't want to open it all the way. I know there should be pressure but this seemed excessive. What's up?

Thanks.

In order to fully clear out the system, you need to either disconnect the front rads at the bumper, or blow the coolant out using compressed air. Otherwise all your drain out is around 3-4 gallons

I did a full flush with distilled water and then refil with 50/50

If you can get a airlift to use, it will save you a lot of time and actually fill the system without air bubbles

So what's the deal with all the pressure?

There are a lot of hoses plus the rads that trap fluid

Would that cause enough pressure to open the bleeder valve?

Could be bad O Rings
 

allowing coolant to slip by while hot....I just went through this....easy fix if that is what it is

What's the fix?

It always opens when the motor is at operating temp. Its designed that way.

Expanding fluids in a closed system. Lots of pressure. Air compresses. Water does not. You need some air trapped in the coolant res.

I raised the rear of my car to refill. Zero air. Your results may vary.

Does this explain the many threads about smelling coolant when there's no indication of any leakage?