Comments on: I Put Cold Water In My Overheated Radiator While The Car Was Off.?

By: ANdy S

ANdy S — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:09:52 +0000

its probably ok, or it was bad to start with..

By: faisal rafique

faisal rafique — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:34:20 +0000

no, you start the engine open the radiator cap slowly then you put the water in runing engine

By: goldwing

goldwing — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:56:30 +0000

Not likely. Pouring water into a radiator while hot in not a good idea as it turns to steam and could hurt you. And I hae seen it explode, but as to harming it not likely.

By: kelly_f_

kelly_f_ — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:10:49 +0000

wel shouldnt never add to a hot motor at all and really better to add it while its running car gets hotter when you shut it off theres no fan blowing on it any more plus theres no coolant moving thru ity to cool next tiem car runs hot let it run pour water over radiator for a minute to help cool it down turn it off let it sit a hour crank an dthen add what ever an dsure theres alwasy a chance of damage but first was a problem to make it over heat to start with

By: Johhny Rico

Johhny Rico — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:51:25 +0000

first off how hot was it?? and its not the cold water i would worry about as to how hot you had the engine before you shut it off…could crack the heads , head gaskets could have blown , youll notice white smoke or your car will overheat continously if youve done any damage..why did it overheat at first, low coolant , fans not working , leak of coolant , ????

By: game er

game er — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:54:12 +0000

You could have cracked or warped some of your engine components.
My dad put mountain stream water (cold) into and overworked full-size van on a mountain trip as a child. Upon returning home the warped heads needed replacing.
I had my suburban serviced in California before the long drive back home in Oklahoma. Somewhere between LA and Kingston my engine got hot and I pulled over. Pep Boy “mechanic” didn’t put my radiator cap back on after servicing. It was literally laying on the radiator upside down beside the hole! I luckily had a cooler full of Aqua-Fina water bottles and promptly poured them into the near empty radiator. Remembering dads plight, I sat for 3 hours in the middle of nowhere to let the cold water warm up before attempting the drive home. That was 50,000 miles ago with no related issues.
You should know soon if your engine was harmed. Good Luck.

By: Mikaela P

Mikaela P — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:29:46 +0000

I think your pretty safe, but never do it again. When you encounter overheating engine, the best thing to do is to pull over. Turn off the engine, open the hood and let the engine to cool down first. Never open the radiator cap or add cold water to the radiator. Cold water m,ay damage your engine block due to sudden change of temperature. As for your overheated engine, check for leaks(hoses, water pump and radiator). Check also your auxilliary fan if its working fine. Check your alternator fan belt for if its loose. Hope this things helps!