Hi Ade,<br> <br>Observations regarding the leaking head gasket, hmmm . . . been there & done that, no fun.<br> <br>Basically it boils down to "SOME DAYS YOU ARE THE WINDSHIELD & SOME DAYS YOU ARE THE BUG" >Big Grin<<br> <br>It sounds like you've made some nice lemonade out of life's little lemons that we get hit with. As far as I can tell, you made the best recovery possible, having the water on hand is (in my book anyway a mandatory item). Fixing head gaskets ain't a fun job, depending upon your beast of burden this is feasible in the field, but I'd rather do it in the shade of my own driveway. <br> <br>You were fairly close to home, and with kin in the region you were in good shape. For what it is worth, the only thing that I might have considered with this type of problem is some "radiator / engine block seal". Typically auto parts places have several varieties of this, I've had better luck with the type that appears to be finely granulated copper flakes in some sort of binder that seems to flow to the cracks / voids in the water jacket and then seal under heat and some pressure. There are other varieties (I even heard of old timers using oatmeal to do this, but I can only imagine the mess to clean up when you finally get into the engine to fix it right.) Other things to consider are the condition of your thermostat, water pump & hoses. <br> <br>About 10 years ago, I had a similar experience (trip in Ford Aerostar Van, Miami to Orlando for a wedding). Overheated on the turnpike about 30 miles south of Orlando. Had a gallon water jug, which we kept busy. . . fill the radiator, leaving the cap loose to prevent faster water flow by increased pressure through the leaking freeze plug (yeah, it was deep in the back and inaccessible w/o removing the engine) and stopping about every 8 miles and getting replacement water from the canal. >grin< we were "fashionably late". <br> <br>Due to time constraints (work on Saturday/wedding on Sunday/work on Monday = about 550 miles driven in one day w/o considering Mr. Murphy playing with us ;>) ) we ended up driving back with 2 five gallon water jugs in the front seat, and about 12 feet of 3/8" hose through which we kept a constant refresher water flow to the open radiator cap by pouring water into a funnel inside the van. Hood stayed loose on the second safety catch and the hose was held in place at the radiator with a coat hanger. <br> <br>Sometimes you've gotta think out of the box . . . the people in the fast food / quickie mart place thought I was nuts when they saw me in a 3 piece suit and playing with hoses/bottles/funnels/pliers etc. Bottom line, don't argue success. Van lasted another 2 years.<br> <br>Can you guess whose car kit now includes hose & funnel?<br> <br>Have a safe and happy 4th.<br><br>Regards, Comanche7