frozen car

worried_jim

-7 this morning when I left for work. scrapped all the ice of the car and set off on 4 mile journey. I normally start to get warm air from heaters after 1 mile but this morning there was no warm air at all and the engine reachede its operating temp very quickly ( did not exceed). I pulled over and popped the hood, there was water in the radiator, wasn't frozen but it was still very cold. I couldn't see anything leaking or dripping so I suspect that there is a frozen pipe from the engine block to the radiator. this is 1995 civic and I have never had a problem of this nature before, but then I 've never had it so cold before.

ArsenalFC

It's most probably some frozen ice inside the hoses and maybe radiator. Probably needs to have a stronger mix of anti-freeze.

worried_jim

Have just moved it from the basement car park whetre its still covered in ice @ 11.30 am to the front of the building in the sunshine. will pop to halfords tmmro and top up with anti freeze.

SailorSam

Maybe you could try putting something to act like a grill shield, like some cardboard, sometimes the extra cold from the wind , the chill factor, stops the car heating up. Don't cover too much though you don't want it to overheat.

Pyewacket338

As long as the temp doesn't go above it's usual reading you should be fine, if you had a blockage then the temp gauge would go off the scale pretty quick, sounds to me like your thermostat opened up enough to get the temperate down then closed again, the heater matrix heats up at the same time as the radiator so in a 4 mile journey at -7, unless you were in heavy traffic, I doubt you're heater would be blowing hot air.

worried_jim

Everything working fine now.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Flush the coolant and replace with the correct mixture. Use Honda recommended antifreeze only.

worried_jim

On Thursday I poured the K seal in the radiator (after sucking out with a pipe and my mouth some fluid to allow room- it tasted disgusting) and let the car turn over for 15 mins, still steaming up. Went for a drive around on Fri night and it was defiantly an improvement and drivable (just) with the windows open. Its harder at night as the steam causes a lot of glare so I took it out again on Sat morning, this time it was a lot better, still steaming up though. I was thinking that how can a £9.99 fix remedy this, but I wont give up and chanced it at work last night. After a driving for about an hour it is now- happy to say- perfect! The smell has gone and there is no steam whatsoever - I cant tell you how relived I am, I just wished the guy at the garage had told me to do this on Monday, all the worry and stress it would have saved.

Keith

You sucked coolant out :eek:

goldspanners

worried_jim wrote: »

On Thursday I poured the K seal in the radiator (after sucking out with a pipe and my mouth some fluid to allow room- it tasted disgusting)

you should have taken off the bottom radiator hose a let gravity take the bad taste away.

cyclonebri1

worried_jim wrote: »

On Thursday I poured the K seal in the radiator (after sucking out with a pipe and my mouth some fluid to allow room- it tasted disgusting) and let the car turn over for 15 mins, still steaming up. Went for a drive around on Fri night and it was defiantly an improvement and drivable (just) with the windows open. Its harder at night as the steam causes a lot of glare so I took it out again on Sat morning, this time it was a lot better, still steaming up though. I was thinking that how can a £9.99 fix remedy this, but I wont give up and chanced it at work last night. After a driving for about an hour it is now- happy to say- perfect! The smell has gone and there is no steam whatsoever - I cant tell you how relived I am, I just wished the guy at the garage had told me to do this on Monday, all the worry and stress it would have saved.

Am I missing something? Where did the K seal and steaming come into the equation? I thought you said earlier the car was ok?

As said earlier the correct dose of anti freeze would avoid all this. Note that anti freeze is not just that, it also acts as an anti corrosion agent in the engine, if it's been run without for any length of time, the hose spigots and core plugs will soon start to leak:eek: