The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Frozen motors? Its colder than usual here...

We've had temps down to -15 here, and no problems with my truck, when I tested it it was at 50/50 last year. It took me a while to start cause my battery was cold and dead, but it fired up nice and runs better in the cold than my Honda. I have no bed so yeah, traction is a problem, but I only got stuck once, and three guys helped me push it out. The major problem I had was heat, because my heater is not hooked up (might not work anyways), and the window was down for defrost and signaling so I was just about froze when I came back. My Honda is a pain to drive, but at least it gets warm after like 15 mins or so. I'd love to get some chains for my truck and go around pulling out cars, 'cause that thing has torque like you wouldn't believe. On my jeep I have a block heater, but it just about burned up one day. Where do you go to buy one? The only problems I've had there was water freezing elsewhere than the coolant, condensation around the plugs, etc. Things starting to thaw, but now everything's a slushy, icy mess.

Can you guys tell me how a block heater works? I have never seen one before, except on eBay, and dont know how they work. Thanks,

- Shane
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A block heater is an electrical heating element you plug in when needed. If it is below about 10, you leave it in all nite. If it is above, just plug it in about an hour or so before you need it.

It is attached to the engine by removing a frost plug and attaching it in the frost plug's position. The heat element is inside the engine and the the electical hook-up is outside. The heater assembly is held in place by an o ring.

It is the best type of heater I know of. See what others say about my details.- Scott

Thanks for the info! I was wondering if it went in where the caps are on the side of the block, if I am not mistaken by different caps. So, do you just put this block heater in place of 1 cap and it works great? or do you get one for all the caps? Thanks again for the info!

- Shane
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1 frost plug will do it. - Scott

Also, make sure you follow the instructions for which frost plug opening to use. You want to set up convection currents properly. The 235 and 261 use the front frost plug hole under the manifold.

Ok, thanks for the info. I always wondered what those frost plugs were for until now!

- Shane
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This post reminds me of the German army in WWII invading Russia. That must have been hell. They were in Summer cloths trying to invade Russia in record cold temperatures. And record cold in Russia is COLD.... If any of those guys are still alive I'll bet they could shed some light on this discussion or at least give us a darn good story.....

It aint the Russian front, but my dad tells the story of duck hunting on Wisconsin's famous Horicon marsh, the largest cattail marsh in the US or world. It was an unseasonably warm day with men hunting in short sleeves. A cold front came in and froze the marsh over with a layer of ice too thin to walk on and too thich to boat thru. Many men died out there that day. Mother Nature still rules. sorry for off topic Scott

The year was 1966 and my friend had bought a new Chev Impala two door. A really beautiful car at that time. As Xmas was approaching, he and his wife went out of town for the holidays. The car was left at the airport for the 10 days they were to be away. It was plugged into the outlets for the block heaters.

The weather during that time was sort of like what we've been experiencing in the past couple of weeks. Darn cold! -40 every night and not much more during the day!

When my friend returned home, the car would just turn over but not fast enough to start. He persisted until the battery ran down then called me for a 'boost'.

I went out to the airport and we hooked up the booster cables. The car turned over pretty well but it was obviously flooded as a white wisp of smoke trickled out of the exhaust pipe.

I told him to just hold the throttle open and not to 'pump' it as that would help to clear the flooded cylinders. Somehow he just couldn't resist pumping that pedal so I told him to stop while I removed the air cleaner. Taking that off, I stuck my hand in the carburetor and held the choke open and with the other hand, held open the throttle. "Now" I said; "give that a try". Well, that engine cranked over for a bit then started to fire but wouldn't really catch. We let it rest a few minutes and then I told him we'd try again and if it was firing to keep turning it over on the starter til it ran.

Well, it tried to start and all of a sudden it backfired and a flash of flame about 3 feet long came out of the carburetor. I jumped back, having singed my hand, and the car let out an explosion and leaped a foot in the air. The oil filler cap came whizzing by my head like a bazooka shell and we never did find it. That was the end of trying to start that car as the valve covers were ruptured and pieces of cast metal from around the block were lying on the ground.

When that engine backfired, instead of keeping the starter cranking to suck the flame into the cylinders, my friend stopped cranking and the flame went down into the pan which was now full of raw gas from all that throttle pumping! It exploded in the pan with the results I just mentioned. The car was towed to the dealers and after replacing the valve covers and other parts, along with an oil change, it ran OK.

After 30,000 miles he had to have the crankshaft bearings replaced but he kept the car about 10 years.

Cheers George

Block Heater warning.... I brought an Int'l Scout II with a diesel from Oregon to Maine a few years ago to use as my everday vehicle. With the winters here I figured I needed a Block heater, so I pulled the frost plug and put one in. This one was like a rubber cork that had a bolt you tightened to seal it in place. It worked great for the first few weeks in the fall. Then one cool day in November maybe 40 degrees, on my way in to work I was headed up a hill on the local interstate and the heater started blowing cold and I happened to look in the rearview and noticed
a lot of fog or steam behind me. It took my brain about 1/4 of mile to put 2 and 2 together and I then immediately pulled over and shut the engine off. Sure enough the block heater had been blown out of the block and it lost all the anti-freeze in a hurry. Luckily there was a stream right there and I refilled the radiator after putting the block heater back in. It took a lot of ether to start it and it ran terrible, but I got it home. The next weekend I pulled the head and 2 of the 6 pistons had dime sized holes melted right through the tops. Needless to say a gas engine took it's place. So if you put in a block heater you better check on it often.

The block heater that I put in my 235 also blew out. But it was 4 blocks from home and no damage was done. Tighten up that block heater bolt!! I still swear by them.