Runing dry? how long?
 

This might not be so specific to his forum, but this is the one I call home.

My gto broke one water seal (the one behind the head so impossible to fix without removing the engine) in the very moment I was parking it last time. No overheating, but quite a mess!

The problem, I was parking on the -2 floor, and getting a towtruck down there, if feasible, it complicated, I dont want to tow it too, as the ramp might force the cable up and damage the front of the car...

What are my chances to kill the engine if I....

Fully fill the rad and reservoir with water, fire it up, put drive on it and go up??
I might do it for just one floor, then repeat the watering process and go for the other one.

What do you think?

Yay or Nay?

It takes about 5 minutes for an engine to overheat without any water. If you can make it in 5 minutes you're pretty safe.

Even if the engine is forced having to put itself out of ground on a steep ramp?

It's pretty safe to drive it without zero water in it for 5 minutes, if it's full of water you could probably run it 15 minutes, depending upon how fast it's leaking out. The scenario I set up is if the block radiator and the rest of the cooling system was bone dry it would run 5 minutes completely dry.

take off radiator cap so it builds no pressure and if you can, Put a couple pieces of duct tape over the leak just to sl
ow it a little. Its a just a temp fix....

I wouldn't hesitate to drive it with no water for a few minutes. Your car doesn't circulate any water until the t-stat opens anyway and that certainly takes a few minutes.

A buddy and I blew up a 305 in a camaro. It ran with no radiator, just coolant in the block for over 1/2 hour. That didnt phase it but then we drained the oil out, it took another 20 min or so after that.

Years ago a customer of ours drove a 1968 Buick 15 miles losing water all the way. When she got to the garage she had melted the spark plug wires and hoses off the engine. The car was running as a diesel. The only damage she did to the engine was blow the head gaskets. You should have no problem driving a short distance.

Well thanks for all the comments and cheering.
Think will try it next week and let you all know what happened.

Thank u all

Years ago, I loaned my stepson and his wife my '69 LeSabre. He ran it so hot that it cut off on the interstate. I came out and it was still so hot that I had to have to towed home. The oil was black. I was so mad and upset that I didn't even look at it for a couple of days. I figured that was the end for that car. When I turned the key, the car started right up. I put a water pump on it, changed the oil and drove it for another 2 or 3 years with no issues whatsoever..

As some of you have already assumed, the car came out of the parking lot fresh as an apple.
It didnt even heat up enough as to notice it on the engine or the gauge (maybe no water, no temp!)

Any way, it came out safe and sound!

Thanks for all the comments

PS: Please dont even look at those F-ugly wheels.. really cant believe someone did that on purpose.

That's a really nice looking '69....well, excepting the wheels..lol
That grille paint really gives it an different look. I had to look at it for a while to figure out what it was exactly. The blacked out grilles are obvious and you see that pretty often... but it's the lack of black paint on the headlight doors surrounding the lights that I had to think about.

Those wheels are an easy fix, with a little paint,
Cheers. My brother Greg has been living in Santiago for over thirty years

Nice what he's been doing here all that time?
Got hit by the old cars virus too?

I know I will spend a few hours tomorrow looking for and staring at pictures to see what you mean...

Let's talk afterwards!

Notice the paint on the grille and headlight surrounds. Assuming you want to keep the blacked out grilles, you'd see it as the Judge below. Non Judges got the grille like the blue car. Another easy fix actually...like the wheels.
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1612591898
https://cdn.dealeraccelerate.com/fle...tiac-gto-judge

He was a banking executive, but is now more or less retired. His wife is a lawyer so she brings home the money.
He like old cars, but he's not a rabid car guy like I am. I was supposed to go down there and visit him last year.