All out of Antifreeze/Coolant, how come my engine didn't overheat!?!? Options

[tomazws]

OK, so this morning just out of curiousity I opened up all the caps under the hood and checked their levels. Found out my Coolant tank is completely empty, way below "LOW", so low that there was nothing there. So immediately I went to the cabinate and poured in everything inside that Toyota 50/50 bottle... but there was only like 1qt left.....

Please not that I don't know anything about motors except changing motor oil and refilling gas from gas station
1. Am I screwed? Is my radiator/engine/car/everything screwed?
2. http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=22922 <-- in this thread someone questioned if radiator is blown. How do I check if my radiator is blown or not?
3. My gauge reads my engine right in the middle of COLD and HOT.... is the sensor bad?
4. http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=32767 <-- I think I'm leaking. I've seen red drips under my car, so it shouldn't be head gasket correct? How shall I fix the dripping?
5. http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=31352 <-- I heard the same sound sometimes, is that a sign that I ran out of coolant or a sign that coolant is leaking into my carpet?
6. http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=27578 <-- Is Toyota 50/50 bad? Should I switch to Prestone or redlines water wetter?
7. http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=27378 <-- If I switch from Toyota to Prestone, do I have to flush it first?
8. If I mix the red Toyota fluid with green Prestone fluid, would it mix into a different color?
9. lol am I asking too much questioins?

[blu94gt]

1. No, you're not screwed. Mine is well below the low mark on the reservoir but there is still plenty in the radiator itself. Did you open the top of the radiator and look, or did you just look at the reservoir? Trust me you would know if it overheated.

2. You would know if it was blown exactly how they knew, the car would overheat or the radiator would have physical cracks like theirs.

3. Right in the middle is where it's supposed to be, all the time. You start the car and it will be cold then warm up to right in the middle.

4. What color of coolant did you put in the car? The coolant should be green, if you're seeing red drips then that's most likely transmission related. *EDIT* saw that you used red coolant, probably a leak somewhere

5. Not sure about that, but probably heater core related. Do you smell antifreeze in the car or get a greenish fog on the windows when they're foggy?

6. Don't buy the Toyota stuff just because it's expensive for the same product as everything else. Brand or color doesn't really matter as long as you don't use the GM Dexcool orange stuff. Just a regular Prestone green is just fine.

7. Yes, flush it first. Shouldn't be too big of a deal but still a good idea to flush anyways.

8. If you're not going to flush it, at least drain it so that you get mostly new coolant in.

Any other questions just ask