Cracked head on a 6.7 Cummins taught me something about coolant

I had a 2014 Ram 3500 come in last month with a cracked head. Guy had been running just water instead of coolant because he thought it was cheaper. I looked up the actual specs and found out that water alone drops the boiling point by about 30 degrees in a hot engine. That extra heat cycling is what cracked the head. Has anyone else seen damage from people skipping proper coolant mix?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin_kim321d ago

Oh man, that's rough. Water might seem cheaper upfront but it's crazy how fast that backfires on you. The boiling point drop is a killer for sure, I've seen guys crack blocks trying to save five bucks on coolant. People don't realize coolant does way more than just prevent freezing, it's the whole package for keeping temps stable.

daniel55220d ago

Can't believe some people still think water is a decent substitute for coolant in a modern diesel. The boiling point drop alone would make me nervous, let alone the corrosion and cavitation issues that come with plain water. That poor 6.7 paid the price for a few dollars in savings.