I just flushed my cooling system on my '79 210 (1.4L engine) and when I pulled the thermostat I noticed it was jammed open - which explains why my car was running very cold on cold mornings by the way. So I went and bought a new one, put it in and went to fill the radiatior back up. I was only able to put in about half of what's required (about 1 gallon) before it was full. So I ran the engine for awhile, drove it around a little and when I got back I saw that it was still full. So I'm wondering - when will the level drop so I can fill it all the way? Does this mean my valve isn't opening to let the coolant into the block? Also where is the temp sensor supposed to be on this engine? I've noticed that the temp goes UP after I turn off the car for awhile. There's an aftermarket gauge so there may be an aftermarket temp sensor in the wrong place somewhere. If I knew where the stock one is supposed to be I can disconnect it to see if that's the one the gauge is using. It reads about 180F at normal temp (is this too high?) Also I'm worried that the temp sensor could be in the wrong place ie reading the radiatior temp instead of the engine temp or something like that. That could be trouble.

Oh I just thought of one more thing. I flushed the system by disconnecting the water line on the back of the engine that goes to the heater core and flushed wather through that way. Could that have left water in the block, which is why I can't fill it all the way? If so, then my water/coolant ratio is off. I guess I should have drained the block after flushing (though the manual didn't mention that!!!) That means I have to pretty much start over.

Oh one more thing - where the hell are the block drain plug(s)? The manual says on the "left side of the block" whatever that means - no pictures anywhere. Not sure what to look for.

Sorry for all the ?'s but thanks for the help anyway.
Michael