Hi all,
Is it a bad thing to use straight distilled water instead of coolant in our trucks?

 

Shouldn't be a problem for a short period of time. When it gets cold though, you better have 50% coolant in there before the water freezes and causes all kinds of problems.

 

neg. but i would though change it back to the 50/50 mix. especially with you bein in michigan.

 

It would be fine in a pinch (to get you home if the truck throws up in on the side of the road for some reason) but in hot weather it would evaporate quickly and cold weather it would freeze.

 

x2

also it will corode/rust everything after a while which obviously isnt good, then it will start to plug your rad/heater core

 

Run some water wetter, or royal purple Ice and you should be fine until the first freeze.

Otherwise, expect some corrosion, soon.

Distilled water only keeps the water minerals from depositing in the system, it doesn't stop rust, electrolysis or what's already in there from doing damage.

 

Erm, hate to be the voice of dissent here... but...... running straight water is NOT a good plan. If it is an emergency, then fine, but, running a mix serves more purposes than just lowering the freezing point, it also RAISES the boiling point. Water normally boils at 212 degrees, a temp which your truck WILL see, unless you have changed to a lower temp thermostat, and even then, it is still a possibility. Now, under pressure, as the radiator likes to run, will also raise the boiling point so, as long as the system stays sealed, no problem. However, in the event that you blow a radiator hose? Oh boy, are YOU in for some excitement as all the water in the system instantly wants to boil away. Not a good scene.

Run some antifreeze in the mix.

 

why would you not run coolant in there as well? you have a leak, and water is free?

 

as long as you replace it with actual antifreeze in the winter. i'd hate to see you crack a block because the water freezes.

 

Pressurized cooling systems boil 3 degrees higher for each lb. pressure if I remember correctly. Straight water cools better than an anti-freeze/water mixture. When air conditioning became a popular option running a coolant mixture was advised. One reason was manufacturers claimed the heater would freeze up and burst. I never saw that happen though.