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I'll bet you have a stuck thermostat, but there could be other things that could cause the massive meltdown, such as a water pump that has failed. Also, putting cold water into an already overheated engine can crack things, like heads, and blocks...

I sure hope it didn't hurt anything, but I would suggest you change the engine oil before driving it any, after finding and fixing the overheat issue...

Joel Adams
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Once you fire it up you might watch the lower radiator hose too. It may not have the wire spring in it and could be collapsing which would attribute to a high heat temperature as well.
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One thing you may want to do is something that just about everybody overlooks. Have your radiator cap pressure tested. These have been know to fail and cause overheating. It's designed to open at a pre-set pressure and vent the system. I agree that it's likely trouble is a thermostat, so a "hot pot" test would be a good test. If the thermostat is good and the water pump is not faulty, with the rad cap off, you should be able to see fluid moving in the radiator. If it isn't, usaully one of those two are at fault. I would start with the cheapest first. And DO change the oil after curing the problem. Good luck. Let us know what you find.
Jim
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Will leaving the thermostat out cause long term damage or something?
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