I am just wondering if I am having any trouble with antifreeze or did i just not put enough in? I did a radiator flush and ran the engine through a few times with water because i couldnt find the engine coolant drains(If anyone has a picture of these, i am still curious as to where they are, can't find them through description). I was told that i need 2-3 gallons of dex-cool and that when i put the solution in the radiator, it should be 50/50 water. So i ran a ton of water through the radiator and just kept draining it. I realized that there was already water in the system because i was flushing with a hose so then i capped it up and added some anti -freeze. I left the cap off and ran the engine till it sucked all the anti-freeze in and gradually put a gallon in. The radiator was full and the engine didn't suck any more down. I also emptied the reservoir and filled it up. I ve been driving it for about a week with no temp problems and no orange puddles on the ground but every few days, the radiator is empty. So i been adding more and more antifreeze. I bled off the radiator too a few times to empty the air. I am wondering if something is wrong because every now and then, i can smell antifreeze when sitting. I also keep getting an odb error something about a catalyst error (But no part number given).

How many gallons does the radiator + engine carry total?



Temps are just over 160* while driving and they go up a little while idleing (i have the 160* thermostat btw).

 

You could have tons of air trapped in the system. There are two bleeder screws you need to open to properly bleed the system. Park the car on an incline(like a driveway), then open both bleeder screws. Fill the radiator until coolant is coming out of both bleeders, then tighten them and top off the radiator. Keep checking the radiator when the car is cold in the mornings and add coolant if necessary. It may take a while to get all the air out. However, if you have to keep filling it up day after day, then something is wrong. You said there are no puddles on the ground, so if coolant is missing it must be going INTO the engine somewhere. Pull your dipstick and check for signs of coolant. Does white smoke come out of your exhaust? If so then you probably have a blown head gasket. That Catalytic Convertor code may be completely unrelated, but then again, if coolant is coating your O2 sensors then you may get codes.

Fill and bleed the system, check for white smoke, remove the radiator cap with the engine running and look for bubbles. Hopefully you just have a ton of air in the system. That's what I thought too for a week, but the white smoke gave it away pretty quickly. I wish you the best.

 

I have no smoke coming out of my system. I think it is stuffed with air because everytime i add antifreeze, it bubbles in the radiator.

What is the proper way to bleed the system? I usually just unscrew the one on the top a little bit while the car is running and it leaks coolant. Do i need to take the screw out completely? The bottom screw is inaccessible in my car.

Does anyone know exactly how much fluid the radiator and engine will hold?