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Dear philsmith,
Hope you're well. How many miles was the car driven, after the heat stopped working? I ask, because when the radiator plug "blows out", coolant loss is nearly instant. The reason: the water pump is moving coolant, which flows freely out of the plug opening, until the coolant level drops below the level of the plug hole. After that, further coolant loss will be limited.
If a gallon of coolant were left, but ambient temps were low (e.g., below 50°F)
gallon), and the car was not driven very far - e.g., a couple of miles - then there may have been no damage done. I experienced such a failure, when ambient temps were 45-50°F, and the car was driven only a couple of miles.
I checked the temp gauge immediately I noticed that the plug was missing, just after reaching home. The temp gauge needle was not above its normal place (i.e., in the middle of the range).
In short, the key questions are: (a) how far was the car driven, after, "the heat stopped working", the point at which coolant level no longer sufficed for the heater to work (b) what were ambient temperatures, while this unfolded.
Please see the FAQs, for instructions on how to secure with wire, the new radiator plug. It is needful to get a new grommet, into which to set the plug. The old grommet will have lost some of its elasticity thanks to long-term exposure to hot coolant. A fresh grommet will make a good seal. If the plug is properly wired into place, the system will be secure.
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
Spook
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