My radiator is leaking fluid. I've been putting some in before I go places just to get around and it seems to leak pretty fast. What will happen to my truck if I constantly drive around with no fluid? How about if I drive around sometimes without fluid (not constantly)? Basically is it like I can drive around without fluid sometimes and it wont be awful bad, or is it like it can mess up my motor any time even driving without fluid for even a short period of time? I hope you understand what I am trying to say. Thanks.
2007-03-07 09:41:11 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Ok, so straight water would be ok to use for the time being?
2007-03-07 09:52:34 · update #1
Driving without radiator fluid will definately cause your engine to burn up!! Probably the first thing to go is either a burnt valve or piston. The signs are simple. Overheating, then poor/sluggish performance followed by the engine stalling. Then an emptying out of your wallet paying for an expensive fix. :)
If your radiator is leaking then fix it. If you're handy with your hands, the job is relatively simple.
But for now you might want to drive with the radiator cap partially loose. Don't tighten it all the down, just a half way so it doesn't fall off. Leaving the cap loose prevents pressue build up in the radiator. Pressure build up forces the fluid out of the hole faster. However this may NOT WORK if you live in a high altitude place as fluid boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes.
Also when doing this you should still keep an eye out on the temp as the fluid will boil sooner. Usually not too much of an issue at sea level but still something to monitor.
Travel with about 2 gallons of spare fluid so you'll never be stranded and check it once a day or more if you drive a lot.
This is only a temporary fix until you replace the radiator. If you don't fix the problem and continue to use just water, you will eventually rust out the cooling system and damage your water pump. Antifreeze contains anti-rust ingredients as well as waterpump lubrication.
2007-03-07 09:57:42 · answer #1 · answered by phoenix_sfo 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Radiator Fluid
2016-10-04 07:59:24 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
2
2016-08-30 01:37:08 · answer #3 · answered by Landon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A used or rebuilt radiator is only like 100 bucks or so, couple of hoses and two bolts on top, might have to unhook one or two things, if it takes me 20 minutes to pull one out, installation is the reverse of removal, if it takes an hour or two but it's really not that hard.
As for the question, assume this:
An absolutely cold motor such as which has sat overnight, and a cooling system with NO water can drive an engine down the road for a FEW minutes before overheating but your gauge won't work so there's no way to know for sure, and yes you can do serious damage to the engine.
By few minutes, it depends on a lot of things, but really if you get 2-3 miles down the road that's probably as far as you should attempt it with NO coolant before shutting it off and you really can't drive it again, I would do this only in a dire emergency (or as a ghetto way to save myself the 40 dollar towing bill to the repair shop that's right up the road and I mean it is real close by).
2007-03-07 09:48:24 · answer #4 · answered by netthiefx 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The need for fluid is for cooling. If there is no fluid in the system then you wont be able to cool the engine. Also, your temperature guage will not work as there is not fluid to report the temperature of.
Short distance, as in from the front yard into the garage to repair it, will be OK. But if you are talking about driving into town to get a packet of smokes, you might want to think about walking.
A few dollars spent in the radiator for repair would save a lot on an engine rebuild later.
.
2007-03-07 09:48:16 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dont drive around without fluid!!! Dont! It will mess your engine up! First, it will cause it to overheat. Then after that permanent damage will result due to the overheating if you continue to drive it. It will eventually seize on you. If you have no coolant or cant afford to keep buying it, put water in it! Just dont drive it around!
2007-03-07 09:46:41 · answer #6 · answered by djmixmode 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well i think from everyones answers you should now know its not a good thing.
There is a temporary solution,
rather than refilling it all the time you can buy a solution to put into the radiator to stop the leak, depending on how big the hole is of course, its simply called "stop leak" and will say on it "for radiator leaks" so go one of those and give it a go untill you are able to replace the radiator
2007-03-07 09:56:16 · answer #7 · answered by mel_leno 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the car will overheat and eventually the engine will stall. this can cause major damage to engine and other related parts that require temperature regulation.
just keep filling it up and you'll save the thousands of dollars you would spend on fixing a spoiled engine.
your car does take a certain amount of time to warm up but when you don't have the coolant, it heats VERY quickly. it also helps to prevent freezing as well as overheating so you need it for a cold engine too.
2007-03-07 09:47:06 · answer #8 · answered by morequestions 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
DON"T do it. You will mess up your motor big time. That fluid is to keep things cool. You will overheat without it.
2007-03-07 09:47:12 · answer #9 · answered by redpantyluver 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This has been helpful and confirming. I'm calling a Tow truck.
2014-07-28 20:52:21 · answer #10 · answered by Greg Anderson 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋