Recently I had to nurse my brat(ea81) home. One of the heater core hoses got a crack in it. I'd drive about a couple of miles, let it cool off, couple more... The guage never went over red. I fixed the hose, no more over heating. Up until now the guage acted normally. Now, it takes a long time to get it to move. I know it is not getting hot, but I don't trust the guage any more. I don't see how it would have been affected by the leaking situation. Maybe it is murphys law and was ready to go south. Wadd ya think?

Probally still have some air trapped in the system, takes a bit to get it all out. Best to have front of BRAT as far up-hill as you can, using jack, ramps, or a simular incline.

 

Some say sqeezing upper radiator hose helps, others say run it and top it off every so offten.

 

I run engine with the cap off until warmed up, top off radiator and put cap on, shut-off engine. I put the overflow hose into the container of coolant mixture, and let engine cool down. This will let system draw in what it needs, but may take a couple cycles to get it to it's level.