Ice in engine help...

Once again 44Dwarf verifies he's an Encyclopedia Britannica of automotive trivia!

MrWillie, be PATIENT. I had a 350 Chevy motor just get slushy, not solid; and it took days living inside under lamps. Heat it up too fast and you could do more damage.

Hello. Thanks for all the info. By the time I got home last night it was too dark to try anything. I also couldn't reach my only outlet where I parked the car. I've got a minor head cold today, but I'm going out in a few to at least see what's going on.

Is rv coolant safe to run year round? What's the benefit over the cheap regular stuff? I had a coolant mix in the car, so it wasnt straight water, but I guess it wasn't enough.

Thanks again for all the input. I'll check back when I know more.

If I'm understanding the post about RV coolant correctly, the benefit is that it's propylene glycol, and therefore non-toxic (unlike ethylene glycol, which conventional coolant usually is). So it's okay to spill it all over and you won't come outside to find a bunch of dead neighborhood animals.

I'd never heard that RV coolant is PG before; I'm also curious if it's okay to run in a street driven car since I'd prefer not to come out to see a bunch of dead neighborhood animals around a leaky head gasket.

wbjones wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Last I checked cheap generic "all makes all models"/"universal"/"mixes with everything" (it's all the same stuff) 50/50 antifreeze is less than $10 a gallon,

does this stuff mix with Dex-Cool ?

Be careful, the local FLAPS have several different pre-mixed antifreezes. Last week I went to get some for my Transit Connect. When I walked in the door a fellow asked what I needed. When I told him, he grabbed a jug off the shelf and took it up to the counter for me. When he set it on the counter I noticed it said "Dexcool" and "GM" on the jug. Before I could ask the guy behind the counter asked me what it was for(think he saw me pull up out front). When I told him he told the first guy to take it back and get the other type.

In reply to mrwillie:

RV/Marine "antifreeze" isn't meant to be used as an engine coolant, it's for pouring down drains and into raw water cooled engines(lake/sea water pumped through the block) to keep them from freezing in winter. It's similar chemically to engine coolant though.

@kenny -- thanks for the info.

As am update, I've only got two jacks that will raise the accord high enough to get the ramps under them. One was MIA, the other wouldn't get enough pressure to lift the car. So... I struck out on that front today. I did open the drain on the rad, though.

On the plus side, the Volvo fired right up and idled great for the 30min I let it run. I may have to drive that until I can get something going. Updates to follow....

They say do not run the RV year around as it has some (5-10%) other stuff that will evaporate with the engine heat. But its great for storage and dump on the ground friendly lets you not worry if it spills out the crack and will stop further damage.

I use it for storage in all my "race" motors that are not allowed to use green coolant and get teched at 1st race.

Does the thermostat need to be replaced when I do the timing belt and water pump? The one service advisor that I actually spoke to on the phone wants to charge $113 for the thermostat, even though the system will already be drained. The total for the timing belt / water pump now( before the thermostat ) is $650. The advisor even got an attitude when I asked about the hour labor.

Is this even close to being reasonable? A few years ago, I got a timing belt, valve adjustment and front pads for about what the same people want to charge now for everything.

This seems kinda high to me.

I haven't seen an engine where you must replace the thermostat when changing...anything else. It might be a good idea for an engine that had ice chunks in the coolant though.

As for the labor cost, that depends on where it is...but again they're usually easy to get to.

I wanted it done b/c there is ice still in the upper hose. It seems like it would take 15-20min to do, I'm almost certain that I wasnt charged for the labor last time we had one done here. I guess the flat rate is what it is, but we've had alot of work done at this place. I also dont like how the guy was on the phone. I didnt get an attitude, and was respectful to him. He should be the same way.

It's probably book time for a thermostat.

Just as an update, I found a local family owned shop that got very good reviews for their work.

AAA dropped the car off Weds evening, and I picked it up Thurs evening. Turns out that the water pump was leaking from the weep hole. I still need to fix / replace the rad, but the car is running much better after the timing belt and water pump replacement. I also got the front seals done as well.

Thanks to everyone for all of the help and info.....

If the radiator has metal end tanks, you could reduce or maybe even stop the leakage by JB-welding it up. If you're unfortunate enough to have a radiator with plastic end tanks, your consolation prize is that the end tanks are usually individually replaceable.

The tanks are a nylon and something blend. I've read that plastic welding is the best method for repair. I didnt know that I could replace the tanks individually? How do I attach it to the core?

Thanks for the info.... heading to Mr Google now.

Heater core?

In reply to 914Driver: nope. I'm sorry. The "core" of the radiator itself. Meaning, how would the tank re-seal correctly to the existing body( of the radiator ).