cold water in hot engine??

[lewisvr6 0]

is it a bad idea to put cold water in a warmed up engine?? is it likely to cause damage. i got a leak n didnt have much choice at the time as it had hardly any in it n i was at the side of the road..

thanks

[Phat VR6 3]

Yeah not a good idea atall. Can warp head or crack your block, Best to just spend some time waiting for it to get cool of try and put some warm water in it, 1/2 hour of sitting on your ass will save you an new engine

[amazak 3]

Yeah depends on the reasoning behind it, lewisvr6 in your case all the water had leaked out and the engine overheated...you could top up the expansion tank on normal occasions if the car is warmed up. If you notice the car overheating and taking water in the next couple days then you know the damage has been done. Fingers crossed! Also check the coolant level cause when this happened to me I had to keep filling water every morning before it normalised, oh and you might wanna flush the cooling system to get any air out.

[mannie 0]

Don't worry mate,it's Hot (over heating) engine with Rapid cooling that will do the damage,the engine oil acts as the first form of coolant and then water takes the heat away from the oil .

Fix the leak,keep a look out for any oil/water mix in your expansion tank or chessy stuff under your oil cap,you should be able to tell if any damage has been done by the sound of your enigine .

[lewisvr6 0]

cheers guys,hopefully itll be fine. it still ran perfectly, not stutterin or soundin wierd, still very smooth. it must of had some water in it, just the water tank was empty. which is what i think is leaking actually. through the join in the middle!.. it overheated cos the thermo was stuck shut. its in vw specialist now..... n hopefully theyl tel me that my timing chain rattle is just the hydraulic tensioner bolt!! fingers crossed!

[lewisvr6 0]

oh n i didnt put the water straight in.... left it for bout 15 minutes before puttin water in if thas ne betta?

[Cowpatmatt 0]

for damage to take place the aluminium head would need to be at a core temp of over nearly 400 degrees before any damage would occur from putting cold water in the engine. Doubt it would be that hot.

Think about it. boat engines take in freezing cold water all the time!

[Phat VR6 3]

Ummmm well fair play,

Ive just been told not to do it as cold water in a overheated engine is a bad idea. I wouldn't risk it tbh.

I donno about 2 Pints comment about oil been the first line of cooling and the coolant cools the oil?? Sure thats not right. Oils to lubricate, Coolant to cool

[mannie 0]

LOL , Think about it,.....take your time ......which liquid has the majority of heat or closest to the heat ,why is the boiling tempreture of oil are much higher then water (even the coolant are working under presser) etc....................

[SiGainey 1]

LOL ' date=' Think about it,.....take your time ......which liquid has the majority of heat or closest to the heat ,why is the boiling tempreture of oil are much higher then water (even the coolant are working under presser) etc....................

[/quote']

+1

[Phat VR6 3]

I dont realy understand what your saying tbh. Oils got a higher boiling point because its thicker I would think and under more pressure.

But both are around the same temputer

Im starting to feel thick now, what does +1 mean???

[mannie 0]

mate ,don't feel like that,we are here to learn from each other's experiences and knowlege.

ok,I'll try and explane simply; If the oil operates at the same temp. as the coolant then the oil would boil long before the coolant,in this case heat are conducted away from the combution chambers etc....

The oil do basicaly 3 jobs,1) To lubricate moving parts.(friction = heat) 2) To cool moving parts by lubricating. 3) To help trap Nasty/Harmful particulars .( that's why use engine oil are black) .

[lewisvr6 0]

cheers guys, helped to put my mind at rest. i kno the vr engine takes a lot of punishment n is very strong but ill be annoyed if it has broken it cos the engine is perfect in mine, 11 vw service stamps since new etc.. the oil temp didnt go above 92 at any point n the water was just under half way when i topped it up so hopefully itll b fine.. gettin the tensioner bolt on the chains done, at the same time as coolant leak and thermo, which will hopefully cure the very slight rattle i got, fingers crossed!!!

[lewisvr6 0]

'water temp was just under half way i meant'