bigtires

The last time the coolant was flushed and refilled on my xj (2000 4.0 auto), it appears to have only had water in it. I went to start it up the other day and the water pump pulley is jammed/seized, etc. and the overflow is a block of ice. It sounds like screeching metal when i tried turning it on.

I live in Philly so its about 25-30 degrees F now and will be 42 Tuesday and 52 Wednesday. I dont have a place to get the jeep inside because I am in the city at school. I have a torch if heating under the block will work. If needed, I can plug a space heater in and point it in the engine bay or something?

Where do i go from here?

Thank you.

SHELBYGT NSM

I been thinking of putting a block heater in mine. I would dump out half the coolant and put pure antifreeze. Space heater should do the trick.

Radi

Plug in the space heater so the heat rises into the engine compartment and cross your fingers.

SHELBYGT NSM

And your toes.

bigtires

the coolant is frozen. I'm supposed to go home wednesday for the holday and if i have to i'll get it towed (an hour) home to the chevy dealer I work at and let it thaw out there and look at it.

SHELBYGT NSM

If push comes to shove and you have to defrost the engine as a last resort, take your belt off the engine this way the waterpump doesn't have to spin. That would heat the engine up pretty quick. That is a last resort option

Radi

When I lived way up nort' the old timers would light a charcoal grill, then dump the white coals onto a trashcan lid and slide it under the oil pan.
I presume those surviving were diligent about repairing fluid leaks.


Put the space heater under there, tent the engine compartment with some canvas or such if you can, it'll probably thaw in 24 hours or so.

belvedere

Once you get everything thawed, drain what you can from the radiator, block, and bottle. Then refill with straight antifreeze. With the water left in the block, heater core, etc, this should be a good mixture. I would still test the final mix for proper freeze protection (after you've driven it to mix it well).

bigtires

so its raining on and off today and going to be steady later. with a temp of feeling around 33. I think my best bet is going to be to have to get it towed via AAA home to the dealer I work at.

ShowMe Cherokee

Be interesting to see if you popped any freeze plugs...

Good luck with the thaw out process. Hopefully no major damage.

salad

Jeebuz. Hope your block isn't cracked.

Space heater is going to take a long time, but if that's your only shot I guess that's your only shot. Stick it under the hood on the passenger side, away from the fuel system.

highmileage

Aside from the space heater, you can also wrap some plastic or the like going from your running board to the ground around your vehicle. You will get better heat retention for the thaw. Also if you have access to one the ceramic propane heaters work real well, just don't put it near a fuel source.

PocketsEmpty

x100. I suggest thawing out the whole system completely and draining all that water out of it. That's not going to be good for your pump, either. Do a full maintenance on the system. Flush and make sure that there isn't rust left over in the engine or anywhere else--and do a pressure test when you're all done. Refill with 50/50. Keep an eye on those freeze plugs, too. They are located under the exhaust manifold on the side of the engine. You may want to scope those out before dumping coolant in.