rdr8887

You're motor get destroyed when it freezes. I finally got around to pulling the motor in the jeep. Yea, it's been about 6 months since it froze with water in the block. Two freeze plugs on the side of the block and one at the back of the head were pushed out. Replaced them. Pressure tested coolant system and no pressure. Pressure could be felt leaving oil filler cap.

So, I pulled the motor and wanted to see just how much damage I had done. Drained the oil on the engine stand, about three gallons of water/oil came out. It started pouring out clear, then turned darker. Ugh oh. Mind you this was never started after the freeze plug removal.

This picture shows the amount of fluid that drained from the oil pan.



So, I pulled the valve cover to start. All but 3 bolts offered zero resistance to remove. Two of those free broke free with a hand force...only one required the socket. Not sure if this is related to the freeze...

Second thing I noticed was a rocker arm and pushrod loose. So, I took off the head to investigate further. Noticed the exhaust side of cylinder 5 valve was stuck open. Not sure if related.

Then I inspected the head and found this nice crack below. Definitely related.




Now we dig a little further and find these. Pistons look pretty good with very little wear. I peek down at the lifters and see a good bit of coolant/oil mixture. Noticed the following holes from cylinder 6 down to one.














Moral of the story. Use coolant. Don't be cheap. And if you know it's put up for the winter, be sure.

Now I'm off to take apart and inspect the donor motor. Gonna do a gasket set and swap some parts from this old motor. Bottom line, both the block and the head are trash. Going to disassemble the bottom half and see what can be salvaged. I don't mind spare parts....

Thought it could be interesting to show. Still not exactly sure what happened. I just know it's toast. I imagine as I keep going I'll discover what happened and see more of the carnage.

DFlintstone

20 something years ago I drained the water from the 6 in my 66 F250. Then when filling after the freez water ran out the bell-housing. Repair? 58 cents. Once I had the trans, pressure plate and flywheel off, changing that one freeze plug was a piece of cake! Guess I was on a slight slope when I drained it and it still had a few cups in there. Later a friend from Iceland, (or was it Minnesota), said sometimes they run'm hot (boil it) for a few minutes after draining just to be sure. Another trick, (say for a stored toilet or something), is to give it a bit of anti-freeze before you leave it. Just a cup could save the day.

Edit...wait I remember, I pulled the engine. Made a leaning "A" frame with fir poles and a chain back to a stump for the "sky hook" (I didn't have a boat trailer), to make the picker.

Fred/N0AZZ

You need antifreeze in the system just to keep rust from forming, moisture is still present in the engine. Also the water pump needs to be lubed and the seal with the antifreeze there also to keep it pliable and no leaks.

JMHO

rdr8887

This is also true. I was diagnosing an overheating issue so I kept water in the system so I didn't waste the coolant. When I was done I drained the radiator and the system was on a hill. I thought I had gotten most of the water out and wasn't very worried. Turns out I was wrong.

I'm taking apart the rest of the motor to see if there are any other parts worth salvaging for re-sale or use in my next project. I was hoping the block was fine so I could start a motor build while the donor motor powered the jeep. No I guess that's not happening....

I'm still not sure how the freeze created the holes you see next to the lifters. Or how the stuck valve was because of ice. Maybe the valve was already stuck....seemed to run fine before. But, it was overheating even before the freeze.

PocketsEmpty

And here I was convinced that "freeze plugs" were only to flush out shavings and crud from the manufacturing process and that the term just carried on over the years...I guess it still lives up to the name, after all! Nice carnage

EZEARL

Blame it on that d**n globle warming!

rdr8887

Exactly. There should be a note attached to this that says, "If you see us move, buy a new motor. You're going to need it."

And I figured everyone would like the carnage. Gotta get a removal tool so I can pull the timing chain cover. I want to take out the cams and see what they look like. Hopefully I can salvage the crank and cams. Plus, I want a better look at the inside of the block. I'll update with more carnage photos as I get a chance. I'm betting I have a good chunk of metal in the oil pan....

Firestorm500

The block and head(s) will break where they are the thinnest or weakest. The reason a "drained" block will freeze and bust is that there are passages that trap or hold water.

I don't know how many engines I have drained, pulled, and taken apart and coolant just goes everywhere.

rdr8887

That's true. Do you have any ideas of why the block blew holes where it did next to the lifters?

DFlintstone

Could they be drains? Could they cast it with "knock out's?" Are there other holes for oil to drain back down?

rdr8887

I guess they could be. But, I would assume these drains wouldn't be knocked out but actually tapped for cast that way. These are way too rough. I just removed the lifters and flipped the motor over to remove the oil pan. After that I'll try to remove the timing cover for further inspection. I can't seem to get the pulley to quit spinning when I try to remove it. So, I'll figure that out after dinner.

But, to answer your question...yes, there are one or two holes that are perfect where the oil drains down. At least that is what I thought they were for. Someone a little more experienced than me will need to answer that.

rdr8887

I also need to say that I never started the jeep after this freeze. It wouldn't crank and I fixed the freeze plugs and filled up with water to check pressure. The water just poured into the oil pan. I could hear it moving there as I filled up. I never started it after. So, water was able to easily move into the oil and it did it fast. That's pretty much how I knew there was a problem with the block.

Kris smith

Those look like oil drain holes. I've had my share if 350s apart and Chevys castings suck and the drain backs look like that as well. That is most likely normal

DFlintstone

Sounds like that could have gone a little better.

Firestorm500

Yeah, that's usually a dead giveaway that something's wrong.