I pulled my engine to replace the rear main, oil pan, and head gaskets. Engine on stand, I had the head off, and turned the block upside down to do the oil pan gasket. All of the fluids dumped.

When I install the engine, should I get water/antifreeze in the block before I start it up?

Also, where should I pour it in and how much?

With your block in the upright position you will still have liquid in the block up to the bottom of the lower rad hose inlet on the water pump. By turning it over you have exited most of that. When the motor is back in the car and all the hoses are done up then you can fill it most of the way through the rad. You will probably have to "burp" it once your thermostat has opened up then fill it the rest of the way. Water or antifreeze is your call. I would go with some kind of coolant though. Mind you, I don't live in California.

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Thanks, I was concerned that, with no water going past the thermostat it would be slow to open while my engine got too hot.

I'm kind of new with going this far into my engine, so it was a surprise (even though it shouldn't have been) when a bunch of fluid dumped when I turned my engine upsidedown

What do you mean by "burp" it? Thanks

When you have emptied all the water from the block then it is sometimes hard to get water to the top passages, past the thermostat. Once the engine has been running and get to temp. where the thermostat will open then the circuit will get full flow and, I don't know...burp. Then you can top off your coolant the rest of the way.

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Sort of like chowing down on babybacks and beer,you know?you keep shovin 'em in and then you're stuffed.You sit back and ahhh,belch,room for more Also IMHO,use distilled water to start with and after everything is up to temp and theres no leaks then drain the rad and top it up with the proper coolant.I like the MoPar orange it works good.

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83 B-150 slant 6,4 speed. 79 B-300 360 pathfinder 4x4. 74 W-300 318 4x4 git-r-done 80 B-100 sl6,4speed

Sometimes it can be helpful to before you put the thermostat in, to push it open and carefully lodge an aspirin in the opening to hold it open. ?The aspirin will dissolve and dislodge itself after some running time once wet. The aspirin will hold the thermostat open lone enough to get the system full or mostly full of coolant.

Instead of the aspirin, you can drill a 1/8" hole in the outer ring of the thermostat that will allow the air to bleed out and help you get the system full of coolant. The problem with the hole is it will always be there and the car could run cool, or your heat may not be as warm as it could be.

TopHat

I drill a 1/8 inch hole in the thermostats and have never had a problem. I've seen new thermostats at the parts store with a check ball in them to do the same thing, I think, but never found one to fit what I needed one for at the time.