Maybe you hate the van and are looking for a valid reason to dump it?
Leaving 100% water in an engine overnight below 32
- Thread starter maketracks
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Of just run the engine periodically all night long.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: maketracks
Originally Posted By: Chris142
If the block is that dirty you need to pull the drain plugs on the block and flush the mud out the holes.
May I ask what you mean by this? The mud in the holes? What is the best way to do that?
Pull the engine drain plugs and poke in the hole with a small screwdriver or nail. See if there is dirt or chunks of rust, etc.
yupp.
I have heard that you can leave a 150w light bulb on the engine and the heat from the bulb will keep it warm enough to prevent freezing.
Never tried it myself.
It works. A standard 150 W bulb provides a lot of heat. Just be careful where you put it and remember heat rises.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: maketracks
Originally Posted By: Chris142
If the block is that dirty you need to pull the drain plugs on the block and flush the mud out the holes.
May I ask what you mean by this? The mud in the holes? What is the best way to do that?
Pull the engine drain plugs and poke in the hole with a small screwdriver or nail. See if there is dirt or chunks of rust, etc.
yupp.
I have heard that you can leave a 150w light bulb on the engine and the heat from the bulb will keep it warm enough to prevent freezing.
Never tried it myself.
It works. A standard 150 W bulb provides a lot of heat. Just be careful where you put it and remember heat rises.
wow!
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Of just run the engine periodically all night long.
+1 I have done that with boats in the past when hit with a cold snap and they were still in the water. Start the engine at 2am 4 am and 6am and you won't get a frozen block.
Of just run the engine periodically all night long.
+1 I have done that with boats in the past when hit with a cold snap and they were still in the water. Start the engine at 2am 4 am and 6am and you won't get a frozen block.
I took the Safari to a shop, to get looked at. One with the reputation that they treat the car as if they are inspecting it for their own son or daughter, and that if it looks questionable they replace it. They appeared to take a liking to me, and asked why I didn't close the hood all the way, rather left it propped open? I told them because you have to pull so hard on the hood cable to release it that you fear you might break the cable. He smiled, and the consultation went well. I independently bought the alternator, 6 AC Delco spark plugs, and a distributor cap and rotor, as well as a new air hose from a local parts vehicle. Bought the alternator too, so now I have a spare used alternator.
Point being, the water is in there. Ran it the other day, some of the water got drained down, but it is there in the shop's parking lot, with just the water in it. Not full but I want to say about half full. The idea was to flush it out, and it does not look 100% clear, but it no longer looks like the color of fruit punch. I put in the dish soap from Rite Aid, and the soap seems to have subsided, I used water to do that. Then drove it the rest of the day, then deposited the van, talked to the guy, left the keys, and I believe it to be in good hands. I did this without getting out the water. The upper hose still has a hole in it that appears when pressurized.
To recap, there is a chance that my engine, block, and radiator will not be blown apart from freezing ice, and there is a chance that there is? The coldest it has gotten here this week has been a little more than 20 degrees in the dead of the night.
Can the ice expand enough to blow apart the engine? If there was damage, how will it manifest itself?
Point being, the water is in there. Ran it the other day, some of the water got drained down, but it is there in the shop's parking lot, with just the water in it. Not full but I want to say about half full. The idea was to flush it out, and it does not look 100% clear, but it no longer looks like the color of fruit punch. I put in the dish soap from Rite Aid, and the soap seems to have subsided, I used water to do that. Then drove it the rest of the day, then deposited the van, talked to the guy, left the keys, and I believe it to be in good hands. I did this without getting out the water. The upper hose still has a hole in it that appears when pressurized.
To recap, there is a chance that my engine, block, and radiator will not be blown apart from freezing ice, and there is a chance that there is? The coldest it has gotten here this week has been a little more than 20 degrees in the dead of the night.
Can the ice expand enough to blow apart the engine? If there was damage, how will it manifest itself?
The block can crack and you could see water spray out. Freeze plug out or half out dumping water out. Water into oil or oil into water. Water in the exhaust.
Are you asking whether the block might freeze while it sits overnight in the repair shop's lot?
It it was mine, I would buy a jug of antifreeze and go back before the shop closes to fill the radiator, then run the engine up to temperature so the antifreeze mixes with what's in there.
You could also have the shop do it, but that would cost more.
Is this mechanic going to be working on the cooling system? If so, you might explain that there's dish soap in it.
It it was mine, I would buy a jug of antifreeze and go back before the shop closes to fill the radiator, then run the engine up to temperature so the antifreeze mixes with what's in there.
You could also have the shop do it, but that would cost more.
Is this mechanic going to be working on the cooling system? If so, you might explain that there's dish soap in it.
Originally Posted By: Rhymingmechanic
Are you asking whether the block might freeze while it sits overnight in the repair shop's lot?
Yes. I also talked to him on the phone today, and he said that "no it wouldn't, if it didn't freeze last night then it won't tonight." He explained to me that he started her up to move it around in the lot, and I will explain more about that below. So that means that battery is OK, it held enough amperage to turn her over..
Quote:
It it was mine, I would buy a jug of antifreeze and go back before the shop closes to fill the radiator, then run the engine up to temperature so the antifreeze mixes with what's in there.
You could also have the shop do it, but that would cost more.
Is this mechanic going to be working on the cooling system? If so, you might explain that there's dish soap in it.
What I did was call him, and mention my concern that it did, in fact, have 100% water in it. Right now, it is to the point that when I take the radiator off, it looks a lot like Gatorade Frost with some cloudiness, more than dirtyness, to it. He said that should be OK.
What he said next is that he heard the lifters tapping like crazy and that the engine sounded not very much at home in there (?) and that the first thing that he would do is a compression test before he does anything else. I did not tell him that I changed the oil with 5w30, and I think I used some kind of Valvoline. It was 5w30, though.
I totally forgot about the dish soap, but I will mention it the next time we speak.
What should I expect as the results of that one? I am not familiar with what that is. Has 181,000 miles, and I suspect neglect. And the smoke I saw was possibly gray-ish, not necessarily white. I also have the new AC Delco CR43TS plugs and new alternator, ready to go. As well as Distributor Cap and Rotor.
Are you asking whether the block might freeze while it sits overnight in the repair shop's lot?
Yes. I also talked to him on the phone today, and he said that "no it wouldn't, if it didn't freeze last night then it won't tonight." He explained to me that he started her up to move it around in the lot, and I will explain more about that below. So that means that battery is OK, it held enough amperage to turn her over..
Quote:
It it was mine, I would buy a jug of antifreeze and go back before the shop closes to fill the radiator, then run the engine up to temperature so the antifreeze mixes with what's in there.
You could also have the shop do it, but that would cost more.
Is this mechanic going to be working on the cooling system? If so, you might explain that there's dish soap in it.
What I did was call him, and mention my concern that it did, in fact, have 100% water in it. Right now, it is to the point that when I take the radiator off, it looks a lot like Gatorade Frost with some cloudiness, more than dirtyness, to it. He said that should be OK.
What he said next is that he heard the lifters tapping like crazy and that the engine sounded not very much at home in there (?) and that the first thing that he would do is a compression test before he does anything else. I did not tell him that I changed the oil with 5w30, and I think I used some kind of Valvoline. It was 5w30, though.
I totally forgot about the dish soap, but I will mention it the next time we speak.
What should I expect as the results of that one? I am not familiar with what that is. Has 181,000 miles, and I suspect neglect. And the smoke I saw was possibly gray-ish, not necessarily white. I also have the new AC Delco CR43TS plugs and new alternator, ready to go. As well as Distributor Cap and Rotor.
Your motor will not explode, but it might crack, (you'll get a long thin crack on the side of the block). That can be repaired with a variety of methods, (a good welder can fix it or it can be drilled and tapped. I've even got an old tractor that the block froze and cracked and they repair it by drilling the ends of the crack and then made a plate that covered the crack - man who did it did such a good job it looks like it came from the factory that way).
Here's a thought though on your stalling motor. I have a 1986 Chevy Astro Van, 4.3 V-6. Was stalling and running rough. After changing the plugs, wires, cap, etc, it still stalled and ran rough. I changed the fuel filter. No change. I thought there might be trash in the gas tank, so I dropped the tank and discovered that the fuel line inside the tank from the fuel pump (which is inside the tank) had a tear in it about an inch long. Replaced the hose, problem solved.
Here's a thought though on your stalling motor. I have a 1986 Chevy Astro Van, 4.3 V-6. Was stalling and running rough. After changing the plugs, wires, cap, etc, it still stalled and ran rough. I changed the fuel filter. No change. I thought there might be trash in the gas tank, so I dropped the tank and discovered that the fuel line inside the tank from the fuel pump (which is inside the tank) had a tear in it about an inch long. Replaced the hose, problem solved.
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