Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)
  • Can a car engine "freeze"
  • mactheknife
    Full Member

    For the first time since i have had my ols Audi the engine is completely non-responsive. Plenty of life in the battery and i had it running for about 10 minutes today.

    Go out tonight to load it for an early snowboard tomorrow and the engine is dead, not a flicker of life, but as this cooincidentally happens at the same time as its -10 outside im not panicking yrt…so can an old diesel engine freeze?

    cp
    Full Member

    of course it can. if the antifreeze is old or isn’t strong enough then yes, bits like the waterpump would freeze, though this wouldn’t prevent the engine from turning, when it did turn, you’d get an expensive repair bill.

    If you have a gasket failure, then coolant can leak to within the moving bits of the engine and could freeze there and seize things.

    If there is nothing at all – ie. no sound like it’s trying to turn when starting, then a much more likely explanation is that the battery has either discharge (did you leave your lights on?), or that the battery has failed. Especially in this weather, battery’s can just completely give up the ghost. Happened to me one summer, started fine in the morning, drove an hour, parked up, shopped for an hour, battery completely dead on return.

    cp
    Full Member

    * or another explanation that the started has failed or some connection to it.

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    RoterStern
    Free Member

    Your problem has more to do with the battery and the low temperatures. However I can remember watching a program about one small town in Siberia that has a perma frost the whole year round and in winter it’s something like -55 degs. They have to leave their cars running the whole time or the engines seize.

    WTF
    Free Member

    TBH I think your battery has died as even a frozen engine would make a noise/click when starter is engaged.
    Batteries die in the cold if they are poorly.

    mactheknife
    Full Member

    The battery is fine as i had my neighbour help and he plugged his fully charged battery to mine.

    Will try again tomorrow when the temperatures rise a bit.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I bet you 10 scottish pence it’s the battery. I’ve learned myself that when it’s definately not the battery and I know for a fact that the battery is definately spot on, it’s the battery.

    mactheknife
    Full Member

    😀 But i plugged my neighbours battery to mine with jump leads, also there was power as the heating fans kicked in when i turned the ignition.

    ????? baffled

    Haze
    Full Member

    Mine froze last year, nasty crunching noise when it turned over.

    No antifreeze, I never even gave it a thought.

    Luckily I got away with it, has a minor water leak now but nothing expensive broke.

    Took around a week to thaw out.

    It’s in the garage now with (hopefully just) a burst pipe from yesterdays freeze, thought I’d learnt my lesson but I’m guessing I’ll need more antifreeze next time.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Plugging a live battery to a dead one doesn’t neccesarily get a result. Removing the battery entirely and connecting a different one would be a good test though. The fans draw so little power that it’s not a good indicator.

    It’s not the only option obviously and if you’ve not already checked fuses etc obviously you should be doing that, but it’s definately too early to rule out the battery and given the conditions it’s got to be your first suspect.

    druidh
    Free Member

    Solenoid?

    Ambrose
    Full Member

    As druidh says.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    fan is 1 amp starte is about 600 ampstherfore rubbish test.
    Battery voltage drops in the cold anyway.A frozen engine will still turn over and start it will then blow up /pressurise/ loose water/vent etc
    Battery or other electrical fault

    It’s not the battery.
    If there’s enough power to run the heater fan, there’s enough to get at least a click from the starter solenoid.

    Turn the headlights on.
    Are they bright ?
    Try to start the car.
    Do the lights go dim ?

    If the battery is flat, the lights will almost go out as the starter motor drains all the power.
    If the lights don’t go dim, there’s a fault with the starter, wiring or fuse.

    mactheknife
    Full Member

    ok…if i have a frozen solenoid or starter motor, whats the best way to unfreeze.

    Only asking cos im supposed to be on the road for 7 tomorrow….many thanks

    Makore
    Free Member

    MTG – My old Audi diesel automatically dims the headlights when starting (there’s a unit that controls it, but I can’t remember the name) so that test can’t be used.
    Cheap jump leads, possibly poorly connected in the cold will not necessarily supply enough current to start a diesel, but should get some response.
    If all the dash lights come on, the headlights can be put on and are at full brightness for a minute or so then generally the battery is supplying reasonable power to the car. Lights off, if when the starter is tried there is nothing, not even a click (and the dash lights don’t dim or go out) then it’s probably electrical. Could be stuck solonid, wiring to solinoid, ignition barrel fault……

    mcmoonter
    Free Member

    Its worth checking the coolant level during severe frost. I’ve had frost plugs pop out in my old Land Rover and lost all the coolant.

    OP – I’d say battery too.

    MrNutt
    Free Member

    battery happened to me, but then my bloody car has a dynamo not an alternator

    mactheknife
    Full Member

    Battery is fine,,,,,,charged it for a couple of hours.

    Used a fan heater to try and raise the temp in the engine enough to unfreeze whatever has siezed.

    still dead. I think i will just have to wait until the temp rises enough and try again. 🙄

    Flaperon
    Full Member

    Well, depending on how accessible your engine bay is, why not just jump 12V from the battery to the starter motor? If it turns, then you know that the starter and the battery are fine.

    The solenoid should also be accessible, try giving it a couple of taps from a rubber mallet. Could also be a faulty ignition switch – when you turn the key to the “crank” position, you would expect to see unnecessary electrical loads shed, such as the radio and some of the car’s computers. Does the radio go off / warning lights blink out when you try to start?

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    this worrys me
    my landlord (lives about 15 metres from my house ) reports thigh deep snow and a temperature of -19 !

    my van hasnt been started nor moved for 3 weeks ! – was fully serviced about 6 weeks ago with all fluids and filters but in -19 i think it will still pose issues …. hope things warm up in the next 10 days ! – although if the farmer hasnt been down then getting it started is not an issue as it wont move !

    juiced
    Free Member

    I had this happen to a battery fine one day. Then no life in it when it got cold. Just died.As mentioned try the lights on full beam.

Viewing 22 posts - 1 through 22 (of 22 total)

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