GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Quick question. My mom GP was driving her GP today and all of a sudden, the low coolant light came on. She turned around to come home, and said that every time she would break, the engine temp gauge would shoot up. They had a problem once before in this car with a leak where all the coolant leaked out into the cabin area. We smelled it that time. We can't smell anything this time. Anyway, we called the dealer, they said to put plain water into the tank and drive it over to them.My question is -- I was always under the impression you NEVER put plain water into a car's cooling system? Is it safe to do so for 30 or so miles?

The best thing to cool down an engine is plain water. Engine coolant make the engine heated up faster then water and prevent freezing. I know in some aera where the temperature never go under 32F, they use water as engine coolant.

What year is the GP? There is a recall on the GP for an internal water leak. My father has a 2002 GP/GT with the 3800 V6 and had to get it fixed. You may want to check on that to see if that's the problem.Plain water won't hurt it because it's only for a short time and there is enough antifreeze still in the system to lube and protect the internals.

quote:I know in some aera where the temperature never go under 32F, they use water as engine coolant.That's not a good idea as the anti-freeze also lubricates the waterpump and prevents corrosion. Never run 100% water unless it's a racecar and you're constantly changing it.

my moms gp had the same problem. They had to clean the entire inside of the car because of the leak. She hasn't had a problem since it happened 6 monthes ago.

Listen to Nova. He is correct about the antifreeze lubricating the cooling system. It will not rust out the radiator and the other metal parts. He is also correct about running 100% for a short time. You know when the dealer gets to it they will test the mixture. You can mix water and antifreeze. Plenty of people do that in areas that do not get below 0 degrees F. They also try to save money in the summer time by putting water in. Remember that the water will evaporate faster and you will have to check the fluid level more often.I guess it will give you something to do if you are bored.

I should clarify my first post in this thread. The recall on my fathers '02 Grand Prix was for an internal engine coolant leak. I believe it was in the intake manifold and/or throttle body area. This would allow the coolant to leak into the oil and/or intake, not into the passenger compartment.

If it had actually leaked, yes, we would have seen it in the oil. His didn't leak but it was repaired under the recall anyway.

quote:What year is the GP? There is a recall on the GP for an internal water leak. My father has a 2002 GP/GT with the 3800 V6 and had to get it fixed. You may want to check on that to see if that's the problem.Plain water won't hurt it because it's only for a short time and there is enough antifreeze still in the system to lube and protect the internals.I believe it's 2000...Anyway, my 'rents opted to tow it rather than risk running on just water. Haven't heard the word on what the problem was...will let you know though!Thanks everyone for the feedback!!

Oh, and the kicker!The loaner car they gave the 'rents: a 2003 Satellite 2-tone Vibe. Identical to mine...except beautiful cladding...I should steal the cladding, door handle, and radio from the loaner and send back my parts on the loaner car...Think they'd notice? hehe....