Loss of coolant....can I damage water pump with engine startup???

I think they probably could run dry, but by the time you get to that stage I think you would be in deep deep doodah with no water circulating and your heads warping. If you only have 2 miles to go and you think you can make it, the best bet is to boil up a lot of water and take it with you; stopping to top it up. *Don't* put cold water in a hot engine.

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

True....I imagine on running dry on a 85F day would be a bad idea!

I might just buy a couple more gallons of coolant and brew up a 50/50 water mix....then top-up every mile until I get to the repair shop.

Your biggest risk is baking out the valve seals. They are up top and when the temp hits red, you are cooking them really fast. This can turn a nice engine into a smoker.

See if you can fill it and run it with the rad cap off. If it will stay stable then maybe you can make it that way, but....

It really isn't a good thing to chance, when a pump bearing blows out, the fan or pulley can even come spinning off.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

TJM wrote:

No - just use plain water - it's all going to puke out anyway. You aren't helping the engine and you are harming the environment.

Leave the cap loose (but not off) so pressure won't build up in the system. If it is really dumping out, stop every couple of minutes to top up. With the cap loose you don't have to worry about a geiser out the top. I don't think the water temp will get high enough to worry about pouring cold water in a hot rad - it's probably junk anyway. Pick a time of day when there is little traffic so you don't waste time sitting in line at the intersections.

My 2 cents.

John Davies TLCA 14732

'96 Lexus LX450 '00 Audi A4 1.8T quattro Spokane WA USA

Doesn't anyone use a tow strap anymore? If you can keep water in it, your ok. If you can run it without a cap,I would check water about every 1/2 mile or so. Overheating the cyls and head will cost a lot more than a tow.

I woudn't risk it. Tow it. Could damage or blow the engine. Or if you or a friend has a big truck you can rent a car dolly from uhaul or a place like it.

Screw the 50/50 mix and just put in some water. You aren't going far and you need water in the system more than anything, and way more than you need nothing.

Admittedly water is not the best fluid to use, but the issue of water or coolant is a long term issue, not an issue from your house to the shop. When I was a kid, we only used water and therer was no such thing as antifreeze/coolant. Certainly at this time of year, you don't need antifreeze so water should do the trick just fine.

When i was a kid we didn't have all this fancy food. All we had was dirt, and we were thankfull for it. We didn't have air either, we had to hold out breath all the time.

That was funny Paul but Jeff was really only suggesting that plain water would have worked fine to get home on as an emergency measure. :)

Jerry

-- Jerry Bransford PP-ASEL N6TAY See the Geezer Jeep at

Jerry Bransford did pass the time by typing:

I've also heard that leaving the radiator cap slightly off will cut down on leaks since the system can't build any pressure. That being said, without pressure the fluid will boil faster. :/

TJM proclaimed:

Probably the plastic tanks have busted... On the passenger side at the bottom of the radiator is a coupler that *might* be leaking, but usually if as bad as you have the tanks have gone bye bye.

If you stuff it full and it really is only a coupla miles, you might make it before the coolant level drops too much--by waiting until any local traffic congestion is over. If it drops too fast tho, you could risk worse than water pump damage. A tow truck is very likely cheaper than the extra repair risk.

While replacing the radiator, probably a good idea to do the thermostat at the same time. If there is much staining on the water pump, consider replacing it as well while that mess is out of there.

May also want to consider an aftermarket radiator if you have a good Jeep shop to install it. Removing the radiator on the 4.0 ZJ is a true PITA due to the shrouding, that is is plastic, and the A/C and other junk in your way.

Lon did pass the time by typing:

And the tranny cooler lines with those insuferable connectors.

Or taking the thermostat out (Someone did that to my Waggy - and the old rad blew in three places 20 minutes after the new thermostat went in it !)

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

I got my rad repaired (the brass header and footer tanks were cut off and a new core brazed in), and, yes, I did replace the cap.

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

Dirt!?!? Luxury. All we had to eat was a handful of cold gravel, and every night our Ol' Dad would murder us in our sleep and dance and sing show tunes on our graves.

Lee Ayrton proclaimed:

Graves?! You had *graves* !? We had to just hang the family members in the old outdoor toilet until spring thaw, then plant them under the vegetable garden to recover their proteins to fertilize the lifeless soil.

You had an outdoor toilet with walls and a roof? All we had was a hole in the snow, so we had to eat their flesh and grind their bones to make our bread.

-John

A privy! We _dreamed_ of one day being allowed to use a privy. We had to hold it until we got old enough to work in the mines, and then we were allowed to go only once a month.