Silly Question

[jononioo]

How safe is it for me to drive my car short distances (1-2miles) with little or no coolant in my s14? Ive got a bad coolant leak in my ride and its wayyy to cold for me to be outside trying to fix it. Im also sick of paying for gallons of antifreeze.

[SirWarrior]

no fluid at all????
not good thing.

[jononioo]

well, there is a little fluid, but there also is alot of air... my temp gague seldomly goes above op temp... it only goes a little above op temp when ive been driving hard, but i don't do that hardly ever, well at least in the state my car is in now.

[AutoRnD]

well... you can always just put water... That will hold you over for a little bit.. Just bring a couple of gallons of water...

[mellojoe]

I would NEVER drive any car that hit operating temperature with nothing in there. I would rather have straight water.

But, then again, you are just ASKING for trouble.

Here's what you do:
BARS STOP LEAK: Go buy a bottle of BARS STOP LEAK. Dump that into your radiator. Then top off with 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. That will HELP, but probably not fix your problem. But, if you are going to band-aid it, then you better be prepared to pay for coolant.

PS: It may be only 1/2 a can instead of the whole thing. Read the bottle for directions.

[SirWarrior]

well, there is a little fluid, but there also is alot of air... my temp gague seldomly goes above op temp... it only goes a little above op temp when ive been driving hard, but i don't do that hardly ever, well at least in the state my car is in now.
First of all, don't trust a gauge.
I seen gauge jump from totally cool to full hot when the air is in the system.
I would get some water, pour it in and see where its leaking from.
Than either fix it yourself or go to mechanic.

[PinkPanther]

I would NEVER drive any car that hit operating temperature with nothing in there. I would rather have straight water.

But, then again, you are just ASKING for trouble.

Here's what you do:
BARS STOP LEAK: Go buy a bottle of BARS STOP LEAK. Dump that into your radiator. Then top off with 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water. That will HELP, but probably not fix your problem. But, if you are going to band-aid it, then you better be prepared to pay for coolant.

PS: It may be only 1/2 a can instead of the whole thing. Read the bottle for directions.

Don't use any kind of mechanic in a can (stop leaks) on anything on your car, they only make things worse in the long run. It will destroy your water pump and likely clog the passages in your radiator, if it isn't fucked already. :-/

[TokyoNights]

He says its wayy to cold outside and you guys tell him to fill it with water?

[PinkPanther]

when they said water, I thought vodka, so it seemed like good advice to me.

[shortandsour]

ever heard of the pepper trick?? will work with out damaging your system, but you will have to get a real fix

[sciamop]

Bundle up and bite down. The radiator is *not* that hard to replace -- it's certainly much easier to replace than a blown engine. Wouldn't walking 1-2 miles everyday in the cold be worse than working on your car in the cold for 3 hours? Really, how cold is it in Alabama?!

-- Unbolt top two 'fingers' on radiator support
-- Unbolt fan shroud
-- Disconnect hoses
-- Disconnect e-fan
-- Wriggle it out (be careful when you put the new one in there)
-- Refill with proper amount/mixture of coolant

Todd
93 Coupe
The North Pole

[PinkPanther]

I'm so glad I have a heated garage. :fawkd: