bboysake

So I have a problem and dont' know if it's fixable. I have a turbo'd Ls motor and I never drive it unless its a sunny day on a weekend, you know a weekend driver. I didn't think i'd have to worry about driving it during the winter because it's so nasty out, so during the spring/summer time I only put water as my coolant. I was working on my car and I tried starting it. Come to find out my motor is frozen because of all the frozen water. Is there a way to save my motor?

bar'dh22

let it thaw water does melt lol

bboysake

haha i'd have to wait til summer time, but would it get warm enough inside the motor to melt since it is sitting inside a garage?

gsrauto98

you might want to check the headgasket also....

bboysake

Whats the reason do you say that? I already need a new one

xzodiackillerx

you know you have a cracked block or sleeve ... if the water is keeping it from turning over you are screwed

Got traction

x2

when the water freezes it expands...your block and or sleeves are most likely toast

bboysake

well I started the motor for a split second and thats when I found out something was wrong. So it did turn over, but I dont know if it screwed anything up in the motor or not.

fcm

Probably trashed the water pump.
Using just water is not a good idea, not just because it freezes, it's also not a very good coolant compared to a proper antifreeze/coolant. 94

h22 civic

prob split something.........like said above water freezes expands and destroys anything in its way,, 1 of the strongest forces on earth .. a cast or aluminum block is like a hot knife going through butter...but maybe your lucky ,if it was in a garage less then 30 degres for any amount of time its probally shot

blasterman87

only thing you can do is warm it up and after it thaws out try to start it... c what happens

xzodiackillerx

if you started it, what made you turn it off?

jdm602

if all the water was completely frozen, the water pump wouldnt move...the timing belt would either slip and you would hear a grinding type of sound or it just wouldnt crank over.

bboysake

Well like JDM602 it wouldn't move. But in this case the car did turn over

I turned it off because I heard loud clunking noises, almost like a rod was thrown. I'm guessing it was the ice breaking up. Which I hope nothing was harmed

It was hard to start at first but after like 2 turns it turned over, and then that's when I heard that type of grinding sound.

KWayRacing

Or split second no oil pressure becuase it hasn't been driven in forever.

reactiondc2

that sucks..good luck getting it fixed...been way too cold around here lately haha

bboysake

Well it hasn't been driven for a few weeks. not too long.

haha well good for people who are turbo'd and don't just put H2O in their motor, unlike me

fcm

If timing belt and tensioner are in good shape, I put my money on the belt holding and the water pump impellers stripped or spun on the shaft, I guess it would make "loud clunking noises, grinding sound ".

I have to agree, at this point all you can do is thaw it out and see what you have, I would probably crank the engine by hand, before you try and start it again.

Sorry, I am still not clear if the engine fired and ran for any amount of time, you said...
"It was hard to start at first but after like 2 turns it turned over"
When you said "it turned over", did you mean the engine started and ran?
If so, was the "noise" after the engine was running or was it pretty much at the same time the engine started?

I am wondering because, what had not moved in/on the engine on the first two revolutions, "after like 2 turns"?

All I can think of is valves.94

bboysake

Alright I'll wait to have to thaw it out then. But I mean I turned the key twice before it actually turned over. So yes, I basically started it up and it ran for 1 second or so.
The grinding noise started when the motor actually started, so pretty much when all the pistons and cams and whatnot were running and doing their thing.

xzodiackillerx

is it outside or a garage ? if its in a garage put a torpedo heater in there pointed at the motor and let it thaw and then drain out the water.. then drain the oil and see if any water made it in the pan

bboysake

it's in a garage but the garage isn't fully insolated. So it's still cold in there. Idk how i'm gonna manage to get the motor hot enough to melt the water

Scott_Tucker

I'd agree that you likely trashed the water pump.

However, plain water IS a better coolant than any mixture of water and anti-freeze. The purpose of anti-freeze is to keep the coolant from freezing. You should never run just straight water though even in warm climates where it never reaches freezing (like where I live). There are additives in coolant which prevent corrosion, prevent aeriation, and help increase the effectiveness of the coolant. Where I live I can run straight water with an additive like Redline's Water Wetter, which does have all these additives. However, if I took a trip to somewhere where it does freeze then I would be in some serious trouble.

Maluko

WOW.dat sucks man hope the dmg isnt too crazy. keep us updated.

bboysake

Thanks bro. I hope not either


But if the water is to keep the anti-freeze from freezing, wouldn't the water freeze? Or am I missing something?

But thanks for the advice, definitely gonna put antifreeze in so I dont run into this problem again.

How can I tell if my water pump went bad?

reactiondc2

[QUOTE=bboysake;40927699]Thanks bro. I hope not either




But if the water is to keep the anti-freeze from freezing, wouldn't the water freeze? Or am I missing something?

QUOTE]

you have it backwards...anti freeze states it's purpose right in it's name