Coolant level...

[InvalidUserID]

I checked my coolant last night in my 1996 Camaro and it looked like [censored], muddy and all (Dex-Cool). So today I took it to a local radiator shop and they flushed it a few times, cleaned the overflow bottle and replaced the radiator cap. On the way home, everything seemed normal, temps were fine. In fact, the temp gauge was a hair lower than normal which I guessed was due to fresh coolant.

The car has been sitting for about 3 hours and I decided to look at the coolant, just to see how much better it would look. I open the radiator cap and there is no fluid. I grab a flashlight and flash into the radiator and don't see any fluid.

Now when I checked yesterday, the fluid was right at the top of the radiator so that the cap was barely touching the top of the fluid. So either I'm way low on coolant or I was way over...should I go and add some until it gets back to where it was yesterdya?

 

[wirelessF]

How is the water level in the overflow bottle?

 

[InvalidUserID]

The level in the bottle is above the "FULL HOT" mark.

I've never looked under the radiator cap and seen it look so empty, that has me worried. The coolant level is usually right there.

 

[InvalidUserID]

I'm guessing I need to add more coolant directly to the radiator...just keep the car off and add until it gets to the fill neck or do I need to start it and fill.

The shop usually does this part.

 

[HTSS_TR]

The hose between the radiator and the overflow bottle is clogged. Clean the hose or replace with a new hose, 14 year old hose is time to be replaced.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

Or your radiator cap is bad

 

[Eddie]

Or there was air that needed to be purged and the warm-up did it. Add coolant to top everything off and go from there. Check daily for a several days. I've run into this many times myself.

 

[The_Jeff]

When you checked it before was there coolant under the cap?

Do you have one of those 45 degree canted filler necks?

On my cars with that system, cutlass ciera first in mind, there was always a vacuum bubble under the cap. (It always went whoosh when opening-- with pressure if hot, with vacuum if cold.) You can have a small pocket of it when its drawn enough from the overflow bottle, esp if that bottle is lower than the top of the rad.

You do want to make sure the overflow is moving though so maybe make a sharpie mark on it and see if it goes up next time it heats up.

 

[Ryan]

Is this an LT1 or the V6? The LT1 had reverse cooling system, so you had to be very sure to purge all the air out of the system when flushing.

 

[ahoier]

I'd call up the shop that did the work to get a second opinion too.

Perhaps they didn't tighten something up.

Not sure of that particular vehicle, but I've had the understanding that for vehicles with the "overflow" clear bottles, you didn't/weren't need(ed) to add coolant directly to the radiator, only top off through the over-fill reservoir to the "Full" mark.

When you opened the "radiator cap" you opened the pressurized cap right, not the clear/translucent overflow tank? heh

 

[mechtech2]

It can take a while to be normal.
Several cold starts to hot will be needed.
So far, this seems normal. It is tough to fill a system perfectly with one shot at it. They fix themselves, if nothing else is wrong.

 

[SteveSRT8]

exactly the opposite experience here.

The reverse flow GMC products are extremely persnickety about filling procedures.

Read the manual and follow religiously or risk head gasket issues later.

 

[InvalidUserID]

Well, last night I went for a drive to check the temps to see if they are inline with where they ought to be, both at freeway speeds and low-speed driving around town. Temps stayed at where they were before, if not a hair below the line they were at.

This morning I called the shop and the mechanic who worked on my car (it is a small family run shop). The guy was nice and was embarrassed when I told him there wasn't any fluid when I looked down into the radiator. He said he tried to get it perfect yesterday but was short handed (they told me this when I went in) and that these cars are hard to get spot on. Long story short, he offered for me to bring it down and that all it needed was a little more coolant added to the radiator due to a possible air pocket. He asked about the overflow and when I said it was full, he said it just needed some topping off.

I had some coolant/water mix so I filled it myself and surprisingly it only took a small amount of fluid to get it up to the fill neck. I guess there isn't a lot of space to look into this radiator because I couldn't see ANY liquid yet it only took MAYBE half a cup of fluid.

I'll drive it around this weekend and keep an eye on it. The shop said if at any time I was worried, to bring it back. I guess seeing an empty radiator spooked me bad.

 

[mechtech2]

Steve - The exact opposite of what? That it can take a while to be normal? Nothing is more true.
Tough to fill right? Isn't his exactly the same as your description?

What you meant was: "Exactly the same."