One drain plug located in the center (bottom) of the radiator. It's not easy to get to but it can be done. If you cant get it just take off the bottom hose on the passenger side of the radiator.
are you sure it is coolant? is the elbow located on the firewall? if that's the case then it's not coolant, it's condensation from the AC doing what it is supposed to do.
Get a Hanes or Chilton repair manual, it will say. The capacity really isn't critical unless you are doing a complete teardown and completely draining the system.
Every time you start the engine you are doing damage. The coolant will mix with the oil and coolant is a horrible lubricant. How long you should drive it is none at all. Do not run this engine with a blown head gasket or you will be paying for a complete overhaul or buying another engine.
The coolant temperature sensor, which is located behind the engine block near the firewall, senses when the coolant temperature reaches a predetermined temperature so that the transmission can shift into overdrive. This sensor and the hose preceding it can get gunked up with cystallization from the coolant (red Toyota coolant is notorious for doing this) and can prevent proper flow to the sensor i.e. your transmission may take longer to shift into overdrive or may not shift at all depending on how constricted the hose is.
There is NOT a choke on any fuel injected engine. The coolant temperature sensor does the job of what used to be the choke. When the coolant in the engine is cold, the coolant temperature sensor tells the engine control module and it determines how rich or lean to make the engine run. You can use a scanner to see if it and all the other sensors are doing the job they are meant to perform.
total coolant capacity of 3.8L buick regal custom? doing a radiator flush so i need to know how much coolant to buy
After radiator has cooled down remove radiator cap. In the center underside of the radiator is a drain plug unscrew it and drain until all coolant is empty. You will have to locate the bleeder screw in the head in order to drain the fluid in the head and not just the fluid in the radiator and lines. The screw is near your throttle body on the head of the engine (top and center). It is hard to explain where without pictures, but I suggest getting a simple Haynes or Chilton's manual. For simple things like changing coolant they really help and the money you save by doing this yourself once will pay the manual off.
newer cars do have knock sensors.. I have a 2001 xterra with the 3.3L v6 and the knock sensor is located underneath the intake manifold.. you might want to get a good repair manual or copy some pages out of one at the local library to help you figure out how to do it yourself if you plan on doing it. I'm about to change mine this weekend after i get some money together for the sensor and new intake gaskets.. this thing is making me go broke!
Not sure about the specifics of the proceedure but you need to know that bearings are not designed to be "filled" with grease. Doing so will shorten bearing life.
Unless you are doing a complete rebuild of the engine this a very relative question. When you flush your system coolant remains in the engine, water pump, and hosing making it near impossible to give an exact measurement. However, from my experience with these models, you wont need more than a gallon of coolant to refill it. It may take a few days/drives before all of the air pockets are out, so just check it a few times.
If the temp gauge reads normal and the engine is not overheating, the thermostat is doing its job. The thermostat maintains the coolant temp by opening and closing allowing the coolant to flow or not to flow. When it is closed the coolant doesn't circulate.
mines doing the same its a common fault on these.Check the coolant level just incase its not faulty.