Loss of Coolant, and manual trans leak... need some experienced help here

[RoadRage78]

So I have this 1g Talon NT that I bought last year, and finally started driving it 2 weeks ago. Today when I went for a long drive, and after driving about 40 miles my temp gauge pegged. I pulled into a service station, shut the car off, popped the hood and grabbed the upper hose to feel for pressure in the cooling system, and there wasn't any. So, I took the cap off, and I'm pretty sure there was no coolant whatsoever, I topped it off with water as a last ditch effort to get home. Drove the whole way home with the heat blasting, both fans running, and it still was reading just a little hotter than normal, probably from having just water in the radiator. When I got home I pressure checked the cooling system, pumped it up to 17 lbs, and low and behold no leaks. My first guess is the radiator cap, but my question is, would it lose that much coolant from a bad cap? I haven't been noticing any puddles in the driveway.

My second problem is gear oil leaking from inside the bellhousing on the transmission, I noticed it pouring out when I was checking for coolant leaks. Last week I drained the trans, and filled it with synchromesh gear lube. my manual says it should hold 2 quarts, but I noticed that it blew some out of the vent on top when I took it for a test drive when I changed the fluid. my question though, has anyone else had to replace an input shaft seal on a manual trans before, and if it's replaceable without opening the transmission casing.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, and be gentle, I'm new to DSM's.

 

[luv2rallye]

As for the cap, yes a bad one can pretty much drain the system after 40 miles since it's under pressure. They are so cheap just replace it anyway. You might also try your pressure tester with the car running (to get circulation) to see if any leaks around the water pump area.