As of now I'm waiting on the thermostat housing to come to my house so I can fix the car.
I was wondering if I could use plain distilled water, mixed in with the coolant that is left in the system. I will only be using it for maybe a week or less, staying out of freezing temperatures. The thermostat housing has been leaking for a bit, and I don't want to buy a bottle of coolant for 11 dollars every time I need to top it off.
As long as you dont run at top speed for prolonged periods and the temp doesn't drop
below freezing, I say go with water. Just dont let it freeze....gary
gary moore wrote: As long as you dont run at top speed for prolonged periods and the temp doesn't drop
below freezing, I say go with water. Just dont let it freeze....gary
Yes you can. That being said, heed the advice of not freezing. Also know that antifreeze not only lowers the freezing point of water but also raises the boiling point of water. It is an antifreeze/antiboil additive to your radiator.
Keep a sharp eye on temperature and frequently check (engine cold) the coolant level.
Cars used to run just water in the early days of motoring. That is why the VW Beetle was built as an aircooled engine. Antifreeze agents were not readily available as they are today and freezing of the engine was a significant problem. Since that time antifreeze has gone through technological miracles and products are out there that do amazing things, even replacing water with a man made cooling liquid. ($$$'s)
Good luck
Dave
