Many people encounter problems when the Fiero cooling system is improperly filled, it should not just be filled from the radiator as normal front engine cars, despite what some Fiero repair manuals even say.

I have outlined below the procedure I used and have been successful with.  There are several different methods, mainly varying in just terms of jacking up the car, or separately bleeding out the heater core.

Materials:

The Fiero cooling system requires nearly 4 gallons of coolant to fill, if the system is empty I highly recommend buying 4 gallons and keeping whatever is remaining to add as needed.

Due to costs, I used store-brand pre-mixed coolant, costing around  $6 a gallon. I have not had any problems with cooling, and I have a V6 model.

 Important notes: There is apparently an error in Stant catalogs regarding the radiator cap.  The correct Stant part #'s are 10230 or 11230. You want to ensure the cap is non-vented. You can identify a vented cap by the lack of a spring, the non-vented caps are spring loaded. 

Process:

Filling:

1. Car was on level ground, engine completely cool overnight.

2.  Remove both the rad cap and the thermostat housing cap. If you are just topping off the system, leave the radiator cap on.

3. Fill from the thermostat housing until coolant just reached the lip of the radiator filler, then capped the radiator. Approx 1 1/2 gallons of coolant.

4. Continue to fill the from the thermostat housing until coolant reached the heater line connection in the housing.

5. Fill the reservoir to the "Add" level. 

Burping:

1.Close the thermostat housing, leaving the thermostat out.

2. Run the car for a short time, 15 seconds or so.

3. Wait a few seconds after stopping car,  then open the thermostat housing again and fill back up to the heater line.

Repeat the process until opening the thermostat housing after running reveals the coolant has not dropped at all. For me, this was about five times. Reinstall the thermostat. Check the coolant reservoir and make sure it is full. Watch it closely, as any remaining air in the system should be purged from the system through the reservoir, make sure to keep the coolant above the "Add" level, so check it for the next few days and every so often after that.

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