cool weather fretting

[DougHolverson]

I drained the radiator but not the block on the Hawk last August. How likely is the remaining water to crack something during this hard freeze? I'm a little apprehensive because of some of the hard luck this thing has had. Although two of the freeze plugs did their thing last time. I'm guessing that bonehead bodyman filled it with water and forgot way back when.

[63 R2 Hawk]

If the car is able to start and run, I would close up the drain, get it up to operating temp and put some anti-freeze coolant in it. Coolant is a lot cheaper than a new block. If it's not able to run, I would pull the thermostat out and try to blow out the water as much as possible with a leaf blower or shop vac on blower mode and backfill with coolant. You can use RV antifreeze which is pretty cheap if you don't have the regular stuff.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Yes, you are at risk to crack the sides of the block.

There are two small NPT pipe plugs at the rear lower sides of the block.
They are at the low point of the coolant passages.
Remove them and let the coolant/water drain out.

[bezhawk]

Sometimes even if you remove plugs, it is so clogged, that water wont even come out.

[Hawklover]

I removed the plugs on my Avanti.....and installed two drain cocks easy pz to now drain the block:-)

Yes, you are at risk to crack the sides of the block.

There are two small NPT pipe plugs at the rear lower sides of the block.
They are at the low point of the coolant passages.
Remove them and let the coolant/water drain out.

[njonkman]

I would never run any car without antifreeze coolant. First of all antifreeze has a higher boiling point. Also it has lubricant in it for your water pump. Also it has rust inhibitors in it to protect both engine and all acc. such as rad, heater core etc. Also you eliminate your worries as you have now.
Nick

[jclary]

It wouldn't surprise me if half the engine blocks ever cracked from freezing were supposedly "drained." Besides the core sand, and crap from the foundry casting process, subsequent rust & corrosion from years of use (neglect), make those block drain fittings (petcocks) not very reliable. As a teenager, I had it happen to me here in the south. If it can happen here, you folks who live in "real" winter land, are very much at risk. Either drain it, blow it out with compressed air, and dry it. OR...make sure to spend a few bucks on antifreeze. Cheap insurance.

[DougHolverson]

Just wonderful. I'm here in Omaha. The car's 70 miles away at the farm and weather already been frozen a few days.

[TWChamp]

The core plugs are used only to plug the holes used during the casting of the block, and have no bearing on saving the engine against freeze damage. I also would never be without antifreeze. Hope you have better luck than I had today. My blower motor quit working and we have at least 7 more days of sub zero temps for the highs.

[DougHolverson]

I'm hoping that I have better luck than you, or even then I usually do. From Fun Rockets down to a rain cloud blowing in front of the Great American Eclipse. I have forced holiday overtime tomorrow and a commute to it in -16° weather. That car has been towed to Sioux City back, so I'm hoping that sloshed some of the water out, but I'm not counting on it. I'm just going to have to see what happens after things thaw out. Until then, I can do other things like submit art to the year end issue of Copy This! I was interviewed by Rolling Stone's Hot Cartoonist of 1996 earlier this year. Here's an example with Celandine (who wants to grow up to be big and strong like her mama) and Chicspec (aka: One Eyed jack).

[DougHolverson]

Despite what may or may not be happening to the Hawk in real life, last night I dreamed that it was running enough that I parked it on a street in Omaha. People were driving by looking it it. I was waving at them and they were waving back.

[1953champcoupe]

[DougHolverson]

I'm also fret about the garage door not going all the way down on these super cold days. In the past few days, I've even backed up to double check.

I'm still hoping that going down on long steep hills on the way to Sioux City and back sloshed some of the water out. But I'm still not necessarily counting on it.....

[StudeRich]

Not to worry, when you open the Radiator Drain, most of the water in the heads and upper block will drain, and the remaining water in the bottom of the Block SHOULD have room for expansion, it should not crack, hopefully.