Hello to all. I've had a very small coolant leak that I couldn't find. Finally I saw a small spot on the garage floor. The mileage on the car is 119K. I decided to order and replace the water pump and belt. All of the other hoses had been replaced. This was the start of my horror journey. Replacement of water pump went fine. I filled the system with distilled water only just to "test" the system. Drove it for 5 to 10 miles. all is fine. The next morning, I drain out 3/4 of a gallon and add back in, 3/4 gallon of coolant. I thought I had gotten the air out, but I suspect I did not. I know I didn't turn on the heater to 89 degrees! I drove it for 5 miles. Went into the store, came out then on to the next place. All is okay. On the way home this car decides to overheat. I'm a mile from home. The electric fans are screaming in the high speed mode. For the first time ever, I see the "red high temp" light come on. I'm now just going very slow on flat land trying to make it home. Somehow I managed. I turn off the car, fans screaming for 5 minutes. I let it cool for 1/2 hour. Open the cap on the expansion tank, and zero water! I did hear all kind of gurgling and boiling water moving inside the radiator when I did turn off the car. I could find no evidence of where the water went! I did notice some wetness on the under carriage tho. I told my wife "Scotty didn't beam it up to The Enterprise". Where the hell did it go, and why? Anyway, this morning I refill it with water. Drove it for 3 miles. I did add what was left of the coolant. Then I drove it for 10 miles with absolutely no issues. Expansion tank still full and looking clear. I am officially baffled as to why this ran, last night, for 8 or 9 miles then puked it's guts, and ran dry, as I approached home. Further more, why does it seem to be fine this afternoon? I can't wait for the answers. Thanks for putting up with my rambling diatribe. Cheers.

 

Sorry, but the faults are yours alone. The WSM (easily available) describes how to do this under the headline "Draining, Filling and Bleeding the Cooling System". And yes, of course the heating has to be turned to maximum.
The worst idea was probably to drive the car as long as it was not clear whether the cooling system was filled and bleeded correctly. And to continue driving after it had already briefly overheated.

Despite i keep Fingers crossed that everything went well.

Cheers; Fritz

 

Thanks Fritz. Yes, the whole affair was totally my fault. Thankfully, it all turned out just fine. I changed the water, bled the system, ran it, bled it again and again. I even changed the oil as I thought maybe it got "cooked" as well. Today, I drove it into town, and it behaves, and drives, just fine. Cheers, Steve