Hi guys, I have a 2002 2.3L 2wd, I wanted to replace my coolant, so let me describe the problem, I disconnected the lower rad hose and drained it then reconnected the hose, then i siphoned out the resevoir and refilled that. I turned on the engine expecting the coolant to get sucked into the engine but its not. I only let the engine run like a minute or two minutes and I got worried I was going to ruin my water pump or something. I cant see a radiator cap on the radiator, so I guess its a capless system. Anyway what should I do to get my cooling system filled. thanks a bunch I appreciate your help!!

No one has been in this spot before?

You don't have a cap on the radiator, the reservoir is actually a pressurized part of the cooling system. You won't notice it suck coolant in as soon as you turn on the engine, but you should notice a little circulation coming from the upper hose into the tank. The coolant level should drop sloooowly until the thermostat opens, at which time you should notice a drop then swell of the coolant level. The system is set up to be self bleeding, so you shouldn't worry about air bubbles, just warm it up to open the thermostat, then let it cool, and check your coolant level.

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how many minutes would you guess it would take to open the thermostat sitting at idle? also will my temp gauge be accurate with 2 missing gallons in the system? so I can keep an eye on the gauge to make sure its not overheating while waiting for the therm to open. and should i have the heater on while doing this? thanks johnbaum13!!!

It should only take 2-3 minutes to warm up and open the thermostat.

Just have a some one keep a eye on the temp gauge but it should be fine while filling it up

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ok thanks stl

missing 2 gallons? it only holds about 3, and you should have been able to pour more than a gallon back in.

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