Anti-freeze? ... Nope, Just Freeze

"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
12/15/2016 at 15:04 • Filed to: None

When it was down to 8ºf last night one of our customers diesel truck broke its water pump, popped a freeze plug, blew some gaskets, busted a cooler, mixed water into trans fluid, etc. Almost all water just doesn’t work sometimes. They should have warned us when they towed it in and had us replace the pump only. The truck hadn’t thawed in a few hours in the shop and much of the extra damage happened when we started it up to bleed the system. Ooops!

DISCUSSION (20)

deekster_caddy > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 15:09

Antifreeze: Just use it. Big whoops.

Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 15:11

It’s too bad there isn’t a product, that based on it’s nickname alone, would help people prevent their engine cooling system from freezing....

Such a shame.

Dave the car guy , still here > Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer
12/15/2016 at 15:12

Sad isn’t it? Now we have to diagnose all the collateral damage.

Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 15:30

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

For those not familiar with Mechanic-speak, this translates to “go to my boat storage facility to ponder whether to upgrade my motor, or just buy a new boat with my proceeds from this bonehead”

Eric Woodward > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 15:32

I didn’t have enough coolant to get a 50/50 ratio in summertime, and I finally got around to ordering some G13 on Amazon yesterday (it arrives tommorow). Inevitably this morning the water pump was frozen and the belt was slipping over the pulley. Thawed now, no damage, but man do I feel stupid.

Urambo Tauro > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 15:35

I’ve heard that “freeze plug” is a bad name for core plugs because the plugs are not enough to relieve freeze pressure. So ice is pretty much guaranteed to do more damage than just popping the plugs out.

Is there any hope that the block and/or heads are not cracked?

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 15:36

Label found on a car in my shop one evening (summer months):

Kinja'd!!!

Dave the car guy , still here > Urambo Tauro
12/15/2016 at 15:38

We already figure its likely to also have cracked the block or heads.

Dave the car guy , still here > Eric Woodward
12/15/2016 at 15:45

You are very lucky. Next time get some universal coolant or Dexcool to mix until you can flush it and refill with the proper stuff. Its easier to have to flush a system and refill than fix mechanical damage. Many people disagree but many an Audi/VW product has had other coolant in them. I had to flush a green domestic coolant from my A4 when I bought it. At least it never froze and I had it for 14 yrs with only a stuck thermostat for any kind of cooling issue.

Dave the car guy , still here > Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever
12/15/2016 at 15:46

Nice!

Dave the car guy , still here > Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer
12/15/2016 at 15:47

lol, I don’t own the shop but it might help my commission check.

Eric Woodward > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 16:02

Oh I know I lucked out! I’d gotten about two miles and parked it at a Menards, so I bought some Peak coolant that I added in while the heat from having run the car eventually thawed the pump/radiator. I figured on doing exactly that - flushing this stuff out and replacing with the G13 once it is here.

smobgirl > Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever
12/15/2016 at 16:15

I’m laughing much harder than I should be!

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Dave the car guy , still here
12/15/2016 at 16:46

So the owner was too cheap to use proper premix?

Penny wise, pound foolish.

Even with the old beaters I buy, changing out the fluids is one of the first things I do.

Dave the car guy , still here > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
12/15/2016 at 19:45

People are selectively cheap. I had a customer a few months ago who was wearing an Apple watch and pricey clothes but bitched about a $25 car part. They will select something to spend money on that isn’t a necessity and then scrimp on spending when it comes to a basic need like a switch or sensor on a car. The owner likely spent the money somewhere else instead of on enough coolant to prevent damage.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
12/24/2016 at 19:42

Hey Dave, I’m beginning to look into door seal rubber for my ‘71 van and the stuff I’ve found says it’s for vans beginning ‘74 or ‘75. Is there a difference?

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
12/26/2016 at 09:11

Your year the weatherstrip was from a roll and glued in place. In 1974 up they had left and rh specific weatherstrips and I think they may have installed with retainers into holes. I have the feeling the 74-1996 seals will work but you would need to use 3M weatherstrip adhesive to install them.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
12/26/2016 at 09:26

Thanks, Dave. Did you enjoy your Christmas? I got up to go to the gym this morning, but I decided that doing so felt too much like it was not Christmas, so I stayed home.

I found this part online:

https://www.autobodyspecialt.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=CV-9503

How does that price strike you?

Dave the car guy , still here > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
12/26/2016 at 09:35

Had a great Christmas. My big joy was daughter when she found out we bought her the Dyson hair dryer. She was in shock. She has a good job and had talked about it but figured she would never buy it for herself. She got me Amazon Fire Stick and wife got me a huge camera lens bag.

The price on that weatherstrips kit is outstanding. One door strip from GM can be that much easily on most cars.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dave the car guy , still here
12/26/2016 at 09:46

I’m glad you enjoyed your day yesterday. We had our three daughters at home for Christmas for the first time in two years. They clearly enjoyed each other. I got a can of spray silicone in my Christmas stocking. The big Christmas present was a battery-powered weed trimmer that Santa brought for my wife. Christmas falling on a Sunday, we enjoyed attending church, all five of us together. A lovely Christmas Day.