I've got a leak somewhere.. in either my 2 lower heat hoses or my top radiator hose.. since almost ALL of my radiator fluid is leaked out.. Is it a bad idea to fill the engine with all water and test for leaks? I need to check where its leaking from and I dont want to put 50/50 mix in then have it leak all out again.. right now, I think I've isolated the leak but I wont know until its filled back up, and was just wondering if it's OK to run with just water temporarily..

 

Will not hurt your car. Just make sure you put the proper mix in after you fix the leak.

 

^ Yes, just ensure you drain/flush/ and refill with the proper coolant soon...

 

use distilled water.

 

^^^^use to use distilled water in the battery--but I never used in a radiator.......

 

using distilled water will prevent mineral deposits from forming in the radiator

 

Distilled water will also prevent any sort of growth like algae.

 

Never, ever, ever... did I say ever? .... use anything but distilled water in a radiator... ever :D

There is more than one reason. First, non-distilled water has minerals that will deposit in your system over time. Second, non-distilled water has a much higher conductivity than distilled water. This, coupled with a bad ground in the right place, can cause a tiny current in your cooling system, which with the materials used in todays systems, can set up electrolysis and quickly decay parts of your cooling system. Fords have had this issue due to thier terrible electrical systems. My father saw a truck come in his shop that had gone through 3 heater cores (corroded out) in a year. He worked with ford, who mentioned this issue, found the bad grounds on the vehicle and fixed them and filled the system with distilled water and coolant. he also instructed the owner to stop using tap water when he replaced the coolant. The truck has run 3.5 years without an issue since.

this is why the toyota premix is a 50/50 mix with de-ionized water.

For the original poster, you can check it this way, but just make sure you put the proper mix in it when you fix it. but if it is a fast leak, you should be able to find it fairly quickly as long as it is leaking. And obviously.. dont leave it that way in the winter :D

 

Ah that does make sense... I did fill it with about 2 cups of tap water then about 2 cups of coolant.. ^^ makes me want to drain it and put mineral water.. actually, I think im going to do that tonight..

 

mineral water bad...distilled water good

 

doh i meant distilled.. dunno why i said mineral.. thats what i DONT want lol..