anticipate the worst??..antifreeze on ground

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Johnny Mac

Johnny Mac

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so upon a trip out to the race car garage to grab a tool,..i found a small...6 inch puddle of antifreeze under the car...of course i have antifreeze in the car...but popping the radiator cap i find ice crystals...and the puddle is obviously not the entire contents of the radiator.....brand new motor with 30 passes on it, and no way to turn it over/start it due to the tranny being removed the end of last season, also the last time it was run..
so my question is...what are my chances that there was not enough antifreeze in the system and it did something major like crack the block....the freeze plugs all look fine, but there is deff some ice in the hoses...i'm hoping a clamp just loosened or something minor....hope nothing major was done!!! anyone else have an opinion?
 
did it pop any of the ones hard to see? (under engine mounts) wheres at on the engine is the puddle laying under?
 
I'd do whatever it takes to drain it---floodlights under the hood, buy a couple of those magnetic "stick on" heaters, etc, and GET IT DRAINED before it gets colder.

One thing you might try, if you think it's "on the edge" is to pull the block side drains as well as the lower hose, then hook the garden hose to your washer hot water connection, and let some hot water drain over outside of the block until the block drains.

MAKE SURE you pull both side block drains and the bottom hose, AND pull the heater connection under the stat to vent it.

There won't be "milky goo" in the oil because you have not run it, but there might be a visible sign. I'd be for pulling the intake and inspecting the block outside and in, for expansion before you run it again.

You cannot count on block core plugs (they are NOT freeze plugs) as an indicator.
 
Has the antifreeze circulated through the whole system. If so, check with antifreeze tester and if okay then don't worry as it's probably a minor leak.
 
If you don't have the tranny hooked up. Mows the time to pulpit and check everything out. When I park my cars if I find a puddle under it and can't find the leak I pull the motor. I really HATE leaks
 
Aside from the obvious motor issues, please remember antifreeze is harmful to animals. Clean up the mess ASAP if you have a dog or cat -- they love the smell and taste but it'll kill them.
 
the puddle is under the front of the engine...where it could of came from the water pump, or the conglomeration of hoses i have to run my aluminum radiator....which is what i'm hoping for...the garage is closed at all times unless i'm in it..so no doggies will be around.lol the antifreeze was circulated through the whole system and is probably 50/50..the puddle on the ground is also very green so again i know there is antifreeze in it...perhaps the lack of running it over the winter has just let it separate some and the ice has found the higher spots like the top hoses and radiator tank.....really hoping thats the case...i've never seen this before
 
johnnymac2k6 said:
the puddle is under the front of the engine...where it could of came from the water pump, or the conglomeration of hoses i have to run my aluminum radiator....which is what i'm hoping for...the garage is closed at all times unless i'm in it..so no doggies will be around.lol the antifreeze was circulated through the whole system and is probably 50/50..the puddle on the ground is also very green so again i know there is antifreeze in it...perhaps the lack of running it over the winter has just let it separate some and the ice has found the higher spots like the top hoses and radiator tank.....really hoping thats the case...i've never seen this before
Click to expand...

My 25 year old antifreeze sat in the car inside/outside during all kinds of weather with no problems. I checked it when I pulled the engine and it still had a good reading and was not separated. I don't recommend leaving it this long but it didn't have any detrimental affect and I think yours should be fine from sitting over a winter. I've changed out a few water pumps that were leaking from the tell tale hole on different cars and they almost always leaked on the coldest period of the year (Murphy's Law). The position of the puddle should give you a pretty good indication as to where the leak is coming from.
 
thanks for the support, the water pump, engine..everything is new so i'm hoping for the best and a leaky hose...guess time and the thaw will tell
 
Some times during cold weather the cooling system will leak a small amount due to metal shrinkage (but the rubber hose will not shrink with it)-just retighten all the hose clamps when cold. And yes those are not freeze plugs but are put in for cleaning out sand after the block was cast.
 
I had same problem and had to tieghten some hoseclamps that had never leaked while car was driven. IMO if you had just some ice in the hose and tank you are most likely ok on the block but like 67Dart273 said above drain and check over. Some lights burning on cold nights is good insurance.
 
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