ok. those prices are close on the ticket.
Intake Manifold....193.32
Tee Fitting...........3.12
Fitting..................4.16
Gasket Set.........57.77
Manifold Gasket Set......54.05

All this was done on 3/07/07 thats why i am concerned about why coolant is not staying in the reserve but is full in the radiator.

Well, that sure looks like you got both the upper and lower manifold gaskets. Well, you paid for two manifold gasket sets, anyway. It would be really hard to screw up the installation of these parts in such a way as to end up with a coolant leak. Hard to figure.

Did you try bleeding the system at the bleeder screw after the thermostat opens as described above?

Is the coolant level still dropping? Is there any evidence of coolant on the ground? Is the inside of the water pump pulley wet? Can you state how much coolant you have had to add since the work was done? Did you talk to the shop about this? What did they say?

I wonder if they replaced your coolant elbow. I suppose that could be the $4.16 fitting. They are a known to seep, drip, leak, blow out catastrophically.

Another thing to check. If you have a significant internal coolant leak, it is often possible to smell the ethylene glycol odor at the tailpipe when the car is running.

i have not added any coolant since the work was done. my radiator has stayed full since then. my thing is this. it makes no sense to me that the tank is empty but the coolant has stayed full in the radiator for this whole time. :?: But i will bleed the systems like you said and see if that fixes it.

Honestly..

The work was done by the shop less than a month ago. Bring it back, mention the issue nicely and they should be more than willing to look into it.

If the radiator stays full when the recovery tank is empty, (for example, no change in radiator coolant level checked cold for a week with the recovery tank empty) that implies that there is no leak past the radiator. If you fill the recovery tank and it slowly drains out, maybe you have a crack in the tank or a leak somewhere in the recovery hose, or maybe a faulty radiator cap. Although, any of those should end up with noticeable coolant on the ground. Another thing to check is that the passage from the radiator to the coolant recovery tank is open. If you blow air into the opening in the radiator neck, you should see bubbles in the recovery tank.

fellas....turned out that my water pump was on its last leg. changed it out and shes runnin like a beast. lol.