Getting coolant out of the Block - how? (JX)

[epowell]

Hi Everyone...

I have a predicament... not sure how to get out of.

The P.O. of my new 84 T3 van with JX... he did not have ANY antifreeze in the van when I bought it!

Now I am replacing the waterpump, and currently have the alternator and waterpump (incluing housing) completely out.

I have drained most of the water out of the hoses and RAD., but still obviously there is a bunch of pure regular water sitting in the engine block... Now, here in Czech it is beginning to freeze... and I need to either get that water out, or somehow get enough anti-freeze in there to keep it from freezing.

(I will be leaving the country in one week --- gone for 6 weeks --- so no time to put the engine all back together because leaving) It must sit until I return.

Is there a way to drain out this water from the block? (without a wet/dry shop vac?).

With the waterpump off I have on access waterhole into the block... I siphoned off about 1/3 liter from that water sitting there... and thought maybe I could fill it up with antifreeze, then wait an hour, siphon and fill again... repeat this 5X and perhaps that would bring the coolant level in the block high enough to prevent freezing??

Any ideas?
Thanks
Ed

[keytouch]

Hot air gun?

[epowell]

Hot air gun?

Yes I have a hot air gun...

[epowell]

Hot air gun?

You think it would be good to fill with as much coolant as possible, the blast that hole with the hot air gun as a way to heat up what coolant which would facilitate greater and quicker "mixing" with the pure water below??

Seems like a good idea...

or perhaps just heat up the coolant in a sausepan before adding to the hole?

[keytouch]

I was thinking just blast the hole to evaporate the water

[marlinowner]

Put some antifreeze in, then blow into coolant through a length of hosepipe to mix it up?

[tforturton]

Put in as much anti-freeze as you can, to stop it freezing. You can always alter the mix when you get back.

[ELVIS]

WHS^

If you've had all the hoses off and the main pipes/rads are empty and also had the water pump off then the amount in the system will be negligible.

50/50 gives -35 ish protection. Does it really get that cold?

[epowell]

Thanks guys for all your quick responses!

Looking at the forecasts it is not likely to go below -5*C all Winter this year BUT in reality usually every Winter here in Czech we have at least one week mega-cold snap where it goes to -20*C or lower... so I need to assume that this might happen while I'm away.

I actually don't know how the water circulates around the engine block but it looks to me like the hole in the block where the waterpump attaches is at the top of the block so I would assume that there are plenty of watercavities below inside the block (however perhaps this is not the case... I mean that would be a pretty silly design. Right now, according to the Bentley, I have disconnected everything I need to disconnect in order to "drain the system"... however these instruction assume that what will remain in the engine is 50/50 coolant mix. . . in my situation I have pure water (bloody PO trying to save a few coins! )

But if I leave that waterpump hole open then any freezing water would just expand a bit upwards and not necessarily risk cracking the engine block, no??

Another question... there are of course 2 main water pipes going from the engine to the RAD... I have 100% disconnected ONE of them... is it necessary to disconnect the other one too? (that bugger would be more challenging to open).

THANKS ALL!

[Smcknighty]

Don't forget to drain the heater - why not pull those from the other end?

[epowell]

Don't forget to drain the heater - why not pull those from the other end?

I am not sure where the heater is, but I will look it up now, and drain that also - THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP!

The van is now facing downhill slightly nose first, and the back is jacked up a tad... so those front hoses are more or less the lowest point.

I didn't open the hoses from the other end because they would be really tough to open (just very short lengths of rubber hoses connect to long metal pipes, and the pipes fit at least 7CMs into the hoses, so how to pull THOSE off?? ...anyhow I hope that leaving some water in ONE of those lower pipes won't risk damagine that if not drained? [I suppose I could do the same trick - open the pipe near the engine (where it would be easy to open, then siphon off 1/2 liter or so, then fill up with coolant?? Worth doing??]

Anyhow, the good news is that from the block I managed to siphon out 3/4 liter water, and I put back in that much of pure antifreeze.... my gut sorta tells me now that the block is now safe against disaster -- (assuming that the antifreeze can mix in well enough with the water remaining there).

[epowell]

[epowell]

For "draining the heater" is it enough to have the heat switch turned on FULL while draining... or should the actual hoses going to the heater be disconnected?

Thanks

[Smcknighty]

Stick it on full, the pipes connect inside, pull one and I'd have thought that's enough, with the rad pipes pull the lower one, undo the band and shove a long flat screwdriver in to get the pipe work loose. Better safe than sorry and at the moment there's likely a lot of risk down that end due to how it's parked. OR - get it switched around and pull the bleed screw. Good luck

[epowell]

Stick it on full, the pipes connect inside, pull one and I'd have thought that's enough, with the rad pipes pull the lower one, undo the band and shove a long flat screwdriver in to get the pipe work loose. Better safe than sorry and at the moment there's likely a lot of risk down that end due to how it's parked. OR - get it switched around and pull the bleed screw. Good luck

Not sure I understand fully... are you saying it is enough to stick the heater on full - or should I actually disconnect one of the tubes to the heater?

Regarding the pipes very near to the RAD leading to it... I have one of them 100% fully disconnected..... should I disconnect the second one? I know that second one is full of water considering how it is parked... but that second one would be a BUGGER (!) to get disconnected - BUT if it freezes, maybe there would be some damage?

[but I had another idea as a way of dealing with that second hose which is full of water... I could disconnect this second pipe somewhere near the engine where it will be easier to disconnect - then I can siphon out 1/2 litre or so of water, then add in there 1/2 liter of antifreeze---- that way I don't remove the water but at least I stop it from freezing - sound reasonable?]