radiator fuild level

[Rusty]

About how much full should the rad be?  I filled mine to almost full and then it spit out the extra around the rad cap and plastered the windshield with antifreeze.  Should the boil over run out the "drain tube".  Should you run it for while (to get to operating temp) with the rad cap off??
rusty

[chetbrz]

Rusty,

If you fill the radiator to the top it will expand out the water once it gets hot and that will be it's normal operating range.  Just don't keep adding water because it is normal to boil out the excess after filling.  The car finds it's own level.  As a quick check, the radiator should be cooler to the touch at the bottom them at the top.  This is the ultimate manual gauge.   If you have a cap with a motor meter you can monitor the operating temperature but the siphon system works well even in hot weather.   The key is the large volume of water housed in the radiator.  

Chet...

PS.,.. The problem with having a Motor meter in our caps is that you have to remove the cap if you want to open the engine compartment.  Sometimes this is not convenient especially with a hot engine.

Yes, the excess should flow out the drain tube.