well we finally got a really cold spell here in CT and i made the mistake of not checking the antifreeze mixture in the plow truck. went to make sure it would start today as we're expecting snow, and it wouldn't start (will turn over and briefly fire then die).

after wearing down the battery trying to start it i for some reson opened the radiator cap and looked in....frozon solid. i am assuming there is probably water (now ice) in the gas line/carb which is why it wont start but my question is am i screwed until it gets warm enough to thaw or is there something i can do? I have no garage or building big enough to roll it into.

also what are the chances i damaged something turning it over with ice in the block?

 

the only thing that could get hurt by turning it over while frozen is the water pump, it could break the fins off the shaft....hope and pray it didnt crack the block, my 460 froze once and i got very lucky nothing broke, i finally got it to start and let it run a bit to warm up slightly, then shut it off for 10 minutes, and repeated a few times till some water started flowing in the radiator, you might try removing a couple hoses and seeing if you can get any antifreeze into the motor from that route..other than that you might just have to wait it out, unless you have a heater of some kind you can point at the engine and radiator, being carefull of course not to get too close to a gas line or something......good luck.......

 

A few years back, my dad and brother were out hunting in the northwoods, and found a similar problem happened to my dad's 78 F150. No problem! Get a metal pie tin, cut up coffee can, etc, fill it with enough charcoal (briquettes that you grill with) and light them up. When they ash over, spread them out on the tin and slide it underneath the truck. Stay with the truck for the first five minutes or so, to make sure you aren't applying to much heat to anyplace that doesnt like heat.....then check it every five minutes or so.

In about twenty to thirty minutes (if even that long), you have a warm toasty truck, ready to be jumped.



Hunting again in the afternoon is optional.....

 

You could also try a plug in type heater. While most of the ones I've seen usually go into the block, I think I've seen some that go inline in the lower hose. As far as the fuel line having ice in it that is alot trickier. If you sould lay your hands of a tube heater and aim it right it might work, but as was said before beware of fire hazard.

 

I had this happen to me in a car once. I bought a heater that went in to the engine instead of the oil dip stick and let it warm the block. At the same time I opened the drain on the radiator and poured warm water into the radiator. By the time I got the water in the radiator unfrozen the engine block was warm and I was able to start it. Good luck!!

 

DavidRichard,
You said the engine cranks, therefore, there is no ice in and of the engine cylinders, at least not at this time. If it were mine, I believe I would place a tarp over the front of the truck to block wind, then put a space heater under it. I have never tried the charcoal trick, but it sounds reasonable and fairly cost effective. An electrical heater that fits into the lower radiator hose may also work since it will heat the engine as well as the radiator.

Starting the engine for a few seconds then turning it off will certainly heat the engine and eventually the water in the pump, but you still have the ice in the radiator and hoses to worry about. You may have to do this quite a number of times to get it completed unfrozen.

For future consideration, you might want to look into an electrical heater. The very best electrical heaters that I have used are the ones that connect to your heater hose. The unit is approximately 3" in diameter, and about 6" long. To install, you simply cut the heater hose, then place the unit between the cut ends. Takes between 3 and 5 mins if you’re slow and your hands are really cold. The unit heats the water and circulates it through the engine and heater core. Plugging it in at night will allow your engine to start like it was summer time in the morning. In addition, the cab is already warm when you get in, and if you leave your heater controls set to defrost, your windshield is clear. These units work best on non-air conditioned models since there are no air-actuated valves to shut off the flow of water to the heater core.

Please write back and let us know what worked best for you.
John24255

 

Buy a couple of infrared heat lightbulbs (local hardware or farm store) remove the protective metal screen on your typical shop light/ext. cord and place a couple of them very close (1 inch) to oil pan. Remove battery and bring inside to warm up and place it one a rubber mat or few pieces of dry wood to prevent acid getting over everything. If you have a carb. Take another droplight and put a standard 60-75 watt lightbulb in it and remove air cleaner lid and place on top of carb. Should start in the morning for you. Once it does, be sure to winterize it by flushing and re-filling the cooling system according to the factory specs, which is usually about a 60%-70% anti-freeze to 30%-40% water mixture. Dump a can of dry gas into the tank to help prevent moisture build up and keep the gas tank full.

 

if you can get power rent a heater to warm it up open the hood put a tarp over all of it use like a 50,000 btu torpedo heat try to stay with truck letr warm up if no power do the charcoal pan but keep an eye on it the heat can melt stuff like a battery or other plastic stuff I would do this as soon as possible so if it hasn't frozen solid you may be lucky and not have busted the block ,head or radiator

 

I think the best are the block heaters that replace a freeze plug. Of course simply having the antifreeze correct will also keep things from freezing.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions.


I wound up taking one of those cables you wrap around water pipes to keep them from freezing and wrapping that around the radiator and carb. left it for like 6 hours then went out with a can of starter fluid and got it started! most of the ice had turned to slush but i took the advice to run it for 15 min then let it rest then try again about three times and it is all good now.

thank you all again!

 

I wonder if this would work, heard of it done to warm up vehicles in extreme weather,


get a propane torch, the big 200,000 btu torches, get some stove pipe and set it up with a elbow under the oil pan, place the torch in the stove pipe and let it sit for a while.


might be worth a shot


-gbm-

 

I froze my 390 in my '74, cracked the block behind the flywheel - what a pain to patch it. But I did, nonetheless.

In your case, it was probably the water pump dragging the motor down - the pump won't turn, so you're fighting the belt(s). My 390 gladly spun up and ran like there wasn't a problem until the belt started squeeling ...

I've also had my 360 freeze up, but that was with at least SOME antifreeze in it, so it didn't have the hydraulic pressure from expansion that solid ice would.

You were probably lucky and still had some antifreeze left if you didn't crack anything ...

 

I have seen that done on big truck just to get the diesel started. Should work just as good for thawing.
A tarp might help too.

 

glad to see you got it going, be sure to watch for any coolant leaks for awhile, just in case the unthinkable happened to the block.......

 

use a 60/40 mix of antifreeze to water i use 50/50 year round which should be good until -20 degrees