Its very cold in Toronto today . I would say its -16 but it feels like -24 and my car is over heating. But there is no hot air coming out of the blower so my windows are freezing up. Yet the engine heat is at 100%. So hot infact that I can only drive for 5 - 10 min max before I have to stop and cool down the engine.


This is a strange problem can you please help me out with this?

 

It's a possibility that your antifreeze was not a strong enough solution, and that your car has partly frozen up standing in sub zero temp, when was it last changed ?. Possibly then starting and running it will not circulate properly, best get car under cover let it warm and thaw naturally, then test the strength of the anti freeze with a hydrometer and take it from there.

 

I Had my radiator changed in the summer after I had a hole in it. At that time I lost all the antifreeze so they replaced all the fluid. But I’m not sure if it’s a mixture of water or antifreeze of just antifreeze by it self. I believe that antifreeze without any water is prowne to freezing?

 

Not sure but I would not risk running like that, head for shelter and test the antifreeze first. Also check with the shop that changed it for you, are they reliable for you to be certain they put the correct strength in when they did your rad, a lot of places leave that to, bits of kids mechanics.

 

yeah i'd say your coolant is frozen. -16° is pretty cold. the heat from the heater comes from the engine coolant, if its not flowing right, your engine's gonna get hot as **** but your heater will stay cold. dont drive it like this, if you can help it.

 

Yeah one thing more, if it has part frozen you may have been lucky this time. But do not leave it parked out overnight in the elements, without getting it properly checked, or next time it might fully freeze up and crack your engine block.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by britishdude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah one thing more, if it has part frozen you may have been lucky this time. But do not leave it parked out overnight in the elements, without getting it properly checked, or next time it might fully freeze up and crack your engine block.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Get that car thawed out ASAP. Get new coolant in there before it destroys it.

 

yea for antifreeze to work properly it needs to be mixed 50/50 with water believe it or not, straight antifreeze has a higher freezing point than a 50/50 mix

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Alaska Science Forum &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

The freezing point of an anti-freeze/coolant solution depends on the concentration of the solution, and rises when the ratio of antifreeze to water exceeds 60%.


With winter approaching, most of us have begun to think about checking our antifreeze. If we're "good" down to, say, 20 below, it's probably wise to put in some more. How much? Well, on the back of most antifreeze cans or jugs, there is usually a table explaining the freezing points of different concentrations of antifreeze and water. Almost all of these tables show values down to about 60 below with a half-and-half mixture, but go no further. That's a pity, because it is at that point that strange things begin to happen.

It's not funny to the poor guy who wants to make really sure this winter, and with a "what the heck" attitude, fills the cooling system with pure antifreeze. He will be the one walking back into the house some frosty morning when its 10 below, shaking his head because his car radiator is frozen solid.

Thom Wigle of Dow Chemical in Ontario informs me that his office receives several hundred complaints each winter from irate customers complaining that their antifreeze is "no damned good." A typical story is that the customer was using a Dow product undiluted and their engine froze up at around zero.

Actually, this is to be expected when one considers that ethylene glycol, the principal component of most antifreezes, freezes at 8 degrees above zero, Fahrenheit. It is only when water is added that the freezing point is depressed. The freezing point of an ethylene glycol and water mixture drops rapidly as the concentration of glycol is increased to a mixture of about 60% antifreeze and 40% water. Around that point, an abrupt turnabout occurs, and as more antifreeze is added, the freezing point rises almost as fast as it had previously dropped.

It's clearly a case of what you don't know can hurt you, but I have never seen an antifreeze container with an explanatory note to this effect.

Glycols do not have sharp freezing points, and even below the freezing temperatures, a slushy solution exists which will still flow. In the never-never transition zone around -60°F and 60% glycol, the mixture can either crystallize like water (particularly when "seeded" by a crystal and agitated) or set to a glass-like solid with no orderly internal crystalline structure. Either way, the result is the same, and thawing measures including strong language are prescribed.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Isn't this why most people in the extreme north have heat blankets for their engines?

 

thermostate is the fist thing to look at unless a moron filled your car with straight coolant.

 

I would say the exact same thing. Check the thermostat.

 

its a blockage some how. Either the coolant is the wrong mixture or you have a physical blockage like an air bubble or thermostat or a collapsed hose or a blocked radiator.

I would say a thermostat because you said you got the car started and running and it still over heated. If it was running it should have warmed up your motor enough to unfreeze/unslush the antifreeze.

I would say either way go to a mechanic and have them replace the thermostat and antifreeze. hopefully that will fix your problem.

 

or if you know how, you could save a pretty penny and do it yourself.
thermostat is maybe $10 at the most, and just change out your antifreeze, probably about the same price for antifreeze as the thermostat.
Thermostat = Easy change

 

1. check for obvious things like collapsed pipes
2. check coolant level, mixture, bleed coolant, test drive.
3. change thermostat
4. change water pump

Gavz