running tap water for couple days

[pipebender]

I am ganna change the coolant in my Audi tomorrow as its the my only time off. I am trying to source some G05 locally beccause I refuse to pay $26 for a gallon of G12 at the dealer. Do you think it's a good idea to run tap water for maybe like a week before I find the 'right' coolant?

 

[626LX2.0LATX1998]

risk of freezing, corrosion..

coolant prices is neglible. It's an AUDI.

 

[Big Jim]

It should not hurt anything in the warmer parts of California but I would do my best to avoid it.

 

[chenobylite]

Should be OK for a week or two as long as it doesn't go below freezing. You may want to throw in a bottle of RL Water Wetter for corrosion protection if it makes you feel better.

 

[trynew]

Even though I generally haven't had problems doing that, on one vehicle it worked fine as long as it was running, but when I stopped it, it boiled over, probably due to the lower boiling point of pure water.

 

[bar1]

You don't have to use G12 from dealer. Get some BASF G30. It's the same stuff and MUCH cheaper..

 

[Buford T. Justice]

You can find G-05 at a FARM & HOME SUPPLY store usually.

 

[Kestas]

I believe there was a recent post from an Audi owner where the Audi antifreeze instructions recommended replacing all coolant with distilled water, run that for a few days, dump, then refill with the proper mixture.

That step, where they actually recommended running with water for a few days surprised me - especially one written by the manufacturer.

 

[Fastride95]

Two things:

The Audi -
If you go ahead and do the flush, run straight water so you can wait until the right coolant comes along then you'll have to drain and refill again right? I suggest just waiting until you have the right coolant and do it all at once if you're uncomfortable about running regular water. Distilled water may be ok though due to it's tendency to absorb material away from most things it contacts. Just don't drive hard enough to boil it.

Driving with just Water -
Water is commonly called the Universal Solvent by lab students everywhere. Pure water will readily absorb the minerals from rocks, pipes, you name it. Water from tap isn't pure nor is the healthy drinking water at 7-11. Plain jain tasteless leave-your-mouth-dry distilled water is pure. So it may not be such a bad thing to do.

 

[thooks]

quote:

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Even though I generally haven't had problems doing that, on one vehicle it worked fine as long as it was running, but when I stopped it, it boiled over, probably due to the lower boiling point of pure water.

---

I don't know about that. Most T-stats open at 180 or 210 today and the boiling point of un-pressurized water is 212. Add pressure (even 15 psi) and the boiling point goes UP, giving you a higher boil temp.

 

[Kestas]

What happens at the thermostat is one thing. The rest of the cooling system probably has localized hot spots. Otherwise, we wouldn't need the extra boilover protection of antifreeze, and only use a fluid for freeze protection.