Toyota Repair: toyota tercel 1986, toyota tercel, coolant leak

Question
I am planning to drive 75 miles early tomorrow and I just checked my coolant reservoir and found no liquid in the reservoir at all...I drove the car yesterday and it did not overheat...is there any simple way to check for a leak.  Also will the engine be cooled if the radiator is full but the reservoir is empty

Answer
As long as the radiator has coolant in it the engine won't overheat, the coolant bottle may just be low due to normal use and not having been checked in a long time. Without using any special tools you can visually check for a coolant leak by starting the engine and letting it run for a whaile after it's warmed up, say 1/2 hour, then shut it off and let it sit checking periodically for any leakage under the car, if no leaks are found after about 2 hours then there is no leak or the leak is very small at this time. Look for any obvious signs of leakage with a flashlight, check the bottom of the radiator, the hoses, check the front of the engine where the water pump is, water pumps often have small leaks that will get larger after time.