| robert993 | -- 10-27-2013 @ 5:06 PM |
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Several days ago the temperature in Kingsport, TN dropped to 30F overnight. I was out of town. My restored 40 Ford which was in my garage did not have antifreeze in the coolant. I can now see bubbles in the coolant with the engine running, but I had never looked at this before so I cannot say if this is new or not. The engine runs perfectly. I have owned the car for about 10 months. I am concerned that I have a cracked block. Is there a way to check for this, short of removing the cylinder heads? Should I be concerned about the bubbles in the coolant?
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| ford38v8 | -- 10-27-2013 @ 5:43 PM |
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Robert, in my opinion, a garage kept car would be safe for a single temperature event as you describe. I'd be very concerned, however, about consecutive overnight temperature drops. Bubbles without other symptoms are innocent. When accompanied by a shiny oily film, be concerned. Spillage out the overflow is reason to be very concerned, and get scared if it happens quickly on a short drive. A light brown foamy oil on your dipstick is your engine's death notice. If none of these are present now, don't wait till the next freeze to take positive preventative measures. Alan
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| 40guy | -- 10-28-2013 @ 7:55 AM |
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I agree with Alan. I would be 99.9% certain that 30 deg. outside would probably be 35 in a garage if freestanding. If connected to your house, probably more like 40+ deg. I deal with this as well and have noted temperatures over the years in my garage versus outside.
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| robert993 | -- 10-28-2013 @ 9:17 AM |
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Thanks for your prompt responses. So far I am not getting any other symptoms you mentioned. I normally keep antifreeze in my cars year round, but in this case I had run a can of radiator cleaner through the radiator and had not replaced the water with antifreeze mixture.
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| TomO | -- 10-28-2013 @ 10:36 AM |
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I doubt that you damaged your engine by storing it without antifreeze. To check for damage, drain the system, remove the water pump belt, remove the upper radiator hoses and fill the system with enough water so that you can see it in the opening of the heads. Start the engine and look for bubbles. Tiny champagne bubbles are OK, and should disappear as the engine warms up, large bubbles mean you have a problem. You can also go to a radiator shop and have them test for combustion products on the cooling system. Tom
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| shogun1940 | -- 10-28-2013 @ 3:59 PM |
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you could put a pressure tester on the radiator and start it and see if it over pressurizes . or take it to a shop that has an exhaust gas analyzer and hold it over the radiator fill.
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