How to add antifreeze to 2001 cavalier

10.2 QUARTS

check your owners manual to find out the required ammount of antifreeze, then drain off approx half ofyou cooling water (detach bottom hose is easy way) then add approp ammount of anti freeze to radiator expansion tank and top up with water to correct level.

whichever side of the motor you see the drive belts on.

Ford puts theirs on the passenger side but I see gm stuff on the drivers side too.

pop the hood and look for the drive belts. It is either drivin by one of these belts OR off the timing belt under the timing belt cover.

you have a blown head gasket. did it overheat recently? letting the coolant go low will cause this to happen quickly. you need to fix this or the water will cause the oil to be unable to protect bearings and they will be damaged. then u need a new engine. good luck

I believe it's 4 quarts, but I always get 5 as an extra -- add 4 then start the car and let it run for a few seconds (~30 or so) then check level (while the car is level) and add as necessary -- a gauge of how much to add the amount between the low and high lines on the dipstick is 1qt - so if it's right at the low line, 1qt will put it at the high -- ideally, it should be in between the line.

Most vehicle Mfg.'s do not want you to access the radiator, so they put in overflow tanks.
You can add coolant there. You will find it under the hood next to the interior fender.
Only check or add coolant when the engine is cool.
I would start looking for a coolant leak. Vehicles are not supposed to leak or lose their coolant.
Check for green coolant spots on the ground where you park your vehicle.
Please let me know what you find.

The antifreeze should be added into the overflow reservior the large plastic tank, add the coolant up to the full line, there is two plastic tank the other is for the washer fluid, make sure you add it to the correct tank.

Busted head gasket or cracked head.

There should be a mark there somewhere...generally filling to 3/4 full is fine. If you overfill a bit the worst that will happen is that it will spit out the excess....better than under-filling. Also since you needed to add coolant I suggest you take a good look to make sure there aren't any leaks. Better to take care of any while they are small and not causing big problems.

It sounds like you need to service your cooling system. The cooling system may need to be flushed out due to dirty from corrosion. A sign of no heat in the heater and the engine is hot is low on antifreeze in the system. Check the antifreeze level first and add water just to get around to buy the things you need to service the cooling system. Buy antifreeze and a thermostat, drain the old antifreeze and replace the thermostat. Add new antifreeze with a 50/50 mix solution water/antifreeze. Too much antifreeze will gel and the cooling system will still run hot and to much water will boil over. Good luck. Keep me posted be glad to help.