At 10:04 AM 7/23/96 -0500, you wrote:

>So I fill the empty resrvoir (the main one you fill behind the license plate
>) with water to start with (thinking I'll add coolant next batch as the
>water circulates). I start the engine, and let it run for a while, thinking
>the thermostat will open up the  valeve and coolant will start to flow. But
>after a few minutes of running, I see the heat start to creep up slowly, but
>steadily towards the top of the indicator, and I shut things down for fear
>of a seziure (probably paranoia, but I ain't taking chances!!).
>

I had a problem with my 86 not taking coolant from the overflow tank.  I
found that the valve in the cap of the coolant tank (drivers side rear) was
not opening.  I put in a new cap and the problem of low coolant went away.
Maybe this helps.

Bill