hi there first time posting

[zysron]

so i’m posting here to say helo and ask a quick questions to cur my curiosity.

i have a 2001 chevy cavelier, that i bought for 1k$ it had already had an engine replacement(100k less miles than car) which was done wrong and ended up punching a hole in the oil filter 🙁 so me and my friends replaced the filter found it was missing a bolt found a bolt that fits and put it in.(this was about 2 years ago). last year around this time i had to stop driving it outta town becuase it would not hold coolant for more than a few hours. i never did get it fixed and only drove it for a few blocks at a time after the problem was realized i also never had it checked out.

now heres the question… i recently put strait tap water in it (i know corrosion and other problems) and made sure that almost all if not all air had been removed from the line in an attempt to find the leak, but it doesnt leak any more… now i had the coolant empyty for almost a year never reaching more than 200 degrees even in mid summer. we put water in it thinking it would leak but not a drop has.
:blink:
is tap water thicker than generic coolant? or maybe running ti dry plugged the leak?

is it safe to run outta town if i keep my eye on the thermostat and have a gallon of water nearby just in case it starts to leak again checking each side of a trip?

Topic

[college man]

The water caused corrosion sealing the leak. I would not trust the situation
and drive it. I’m gonna suggest fixing the leak so you don’t break down and
cause other engine damage.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/finding-and-fixing-leaks

[zysron]

[quote=”college man” post=162386]The water caused corrosion sealing the leak. I would not trust the situation
and drive it. I’m gonna suggest fixing the leak so you don’t break down and
cause other engine damage.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/finding-and-fixing-leaks%5B/quote%5D

i’m unsure if you read it right,,,

i said that i did not have ANYTHING in the coolant system for almost a year and before that it wouldnt hold coolant for more than a couple of hours. since it is scientifically impossible for water to cause rust under natural conditions in less than 30 minutes (a noticeable drop of water level there would be young padawan), i seriously doubt that water cause corrosion to seal the leak. a higher likely hood is a buildup of particulates from not having anything in the system for so long did that. also i have been driving my car for about… 2 weeks since i put in the water and still the water level has not changed a millimeter. that is also why i asked what seems like a dumb question “is antifreeze thinner molecularly than water?” I.E. does antifreeze have a higher chance of leaking out than water?

i also noticed while surfing for this answer(unable to find it) that many suggest to mix antifreeze with water. and if that is a good idea, than wouldnt that cause currosion in your system too?

i should also refrase my question at the end of my last post.

since the actual … life of my car is not my concern (major problems happen to vehicles for me so them dying isnt something new, hence why i never buy anything realativly new) if i make sure to keep avid attention on the thermostat and check the coolant levels daily/ and at each stop, while keeping plenty of water / coolant in my trunk just in case could i make a trip outta town (say 50 miles 1 way) without any problems (i know i can drive the car for at least half an hour without coolant as long as i dont go vroom vroom lol) ?

oh and i just tried a refrazing of my desity question… yes antifreeze is molecularly lighter than water so there is a theoretical possiblity that the water doesnt leak due to its molecular desity compared to strait anti freeze.

[Shaun Flichel]

The water you add to pure antifreeze or to top off the rad is distilled water. Water straight from the tap will cause corrosion. I agree with college man.

[Author]

Replies