Can you start an engine with no coolant in just to move the car in and out of a garage?

Answer 1

Yes, technically speaking, you can start the engine without coolant. BUT... with no coolant in it, you take the risk of the engine overheating and permanently damaging parts in the engine that are critical for it to operate at all. I stress the importance of the coolant because of the inherant risk of having a false sense of security - i.e. "it's okay if I do this", especially since most people don't just it move in and out of the garage and the shut it off right away. They forget about it even just for a "moment" which turns into a few minutes. Before you know it, the engine is overheating and then you have to shut it down anyway to add the coolent you needed to add all along. If the damage is bad enough at that point, you're looking at replacing costly engine parts. So to avoid the reprecussions of being too lazy to do it right the first time, just put the coolent in it and be done with it. It's the best way to go.