Alright heres the story....

Tonight was chillin with some guys and we were about to head out to do some drivin, and at a stop sign i was distracted and rear ended my best friends GT mustang at about 6-10 MPH... Right away there was white smoke.

After a little drive i pulled over and the smoke was from a radiator leak from the bottom hose.

I tried to drive it home but didn't make it. My temp reader went to H and then went down a little and jumped back to H solid. so i stopped the car and there was a **** ton of White smoke... After about 3 mins it went away. I left the car and am going to fix it tomarrow morning.

Heres my questions...

#1- How long can i run the engine on H before i blow some gaskets and seals.
#2- In the morning if the entire radiator is dry can i fill it then drive about 2 miles with it to fix the pipe on a lift or the radiator.
#3- whats the the worst case scenerio of this.... New bumper, New radiator, and new Pipes. The intercooler is fine... But the hood is a little offset, suggesting i need a new hood.

Please send some advice my way. Thanks

 

I would have the car towed on a flat bed rather than risking any more damage to the car/motor. It is hard to say how long the car can be driven before the engine warms up and the temp gauge gets to the H. I wouldn't risk it. Just have it towed to a shop and use your insurance.

 

insurance time cause u could have caused more damage.

 

Just keep some water with you, and you can "limp" it home, dont get on it, and keep the heater on full blast, it will help cool it with the water that go thought the heatercore. just drive a bit, if the temp starts climbing to fast pull over and refill. If the leak is just the hose, take a hose out there and replace it. Did it crack the radiator?

I have driven plenty of cars across town, whatever...... just take it slow and keep things full. Top off the radiator and also fill your over flow tank up.

Really if you are going to make a claim anyway...... I wouldnt worry about it..... just let the insurance do their job.

 

Warping the cylinder head is possible.

 

Well how long does it really have to run befor theres major dammage

 

Also i dont think i cracked the radiator

 

You wont blow gaskets or seals with no pressure due to the leak.

You can overheat things to the point that clearances are not enough and seize things. This would take a while.

You can fill your radiator up and drive it 2 miles no problem.

Keep in mind that your coolant temp sensor tells you the temp of the COOLANT and not the motor. If you have no coolant, you will not have an accurate idea of how hot your motor is. The sender needs to be IN coolant to give a correct temp.

 

Best advice - The next time your car has a problem, dont drive it.

Driving a car without water is not a good idea. Water cools the head from the heat created during combustion.

#1 - depends on how hot it got and how long it was run.
#2 - probably, but you may have new problems (hopefully not)
#3 - blown head gasket. Warped head.

 

Ok i just drove back.... Well i looked at it with a light, One thing that really ****ed me wa si never put the bumper guard back on when i did my intercooler kit so it crushed the first fan, the radiator smashed into the wastegate and o2 housing so the radiator is fried, its bent in the middle, the car didnt run very long after i hit hot... maby like 2 mins. so i think i need new bumper, new hood, new fenders, new radiator, and that seems to be it.... man this **** sucks.....