Anti-freeze all over!

[SHOguy 92]

After work I went out to start my car and i let it warm up whenI went back inside. I come back out and somes billowing out from under the hood. So I pop he hood and all behind the driverside headlight is wet. I look under the car and anti-freeze is just pouring out right below the girdle that rotets the engine and transmission. It was just pouring out right in front of that. No pressure is getting to my upper radiator line. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Grab a flashlight, climb under there, and start looking. Could be the petcock, or you might have split the end tank at the crimp.

 

[SHOguy 92]

I start looking tomorrow once we tow it home. But until then I'd like to get some info of whats actually over in that area and how much it'll cost to fix. What is the petcock?

 

[BeatDaSHO]

The petcock is what you use to drain the radiator. It is located on the bottom of the radiator on the drivers side. Sounds like the upper radiator hose has a crack in it.

Greg

 

[rangerj]

Never leave a running automobile unattended. I hope you did not overheat the engine. rangerj

 

[yamahaSHO]

rangerj:
Never leave a running automobile unattended.

There is nothing wrong with leaving a running car unattended...

 

[shobikes]

There's a short "U" shaped piece of 5/8" hose under there right next to the oil filter that just went south on my car - it's a bad design in the first place - they could've hard-piped it - and it's damn near impossible to reach. That's my bet.

 

[SHOguy 92]

There is not one problem with leaving a running car unattended. I'd like a warm car when I get out of work. It's only about 5 below zero up here I don't think I feel like starting it and sitting in it. And no it didn't overheat the overflow bottle had some fluid left in there, thats why the car is off till tomorrow and at my job, when we g get it we'll see exactly what we'll do. But I checked the upper radiator hose and there is nothing wet on that, I also checked the neck where the upper radiator hose connects to the block and thats fine too. About the petcock wouldn't that come right out the bottom of he radiator? Because this was leaking right over that engine and transmission girdle type thing. Also no pressure is getting to the upper radiator hose, you can squeeze it with your hand if you want.

So I'm thinking its a line running to the heater core? I turned it on without the heat on and it didn't leak, but then when I realised no pressure was in the upper radiator hose so I shut it off. The lower hose is o the other side of the car and that was just replaced 2 months ago.

 

[Rob94]

yamahaSHO:

rangerj:
Never leave a running automobile unattended.

There is nothing wrong with leaving a running car unattended...

I do hope you are joking. The mechanical things that can go wrong and grenade your entire engine aside, it is an open invitation for car thieves to take a joy ride.

 

[Machspeed]

Rob94:

yamahaSHO:

rangerj:
Never leave a running automobile unattended.

There is nothing wrong with leaving a running car unattended...

I do hope you are joking. The mechanical things that can go wrong and grenade your entire engine aside, it is an open invitation for car thieves to take a joy ride.

I wouldnt say theres anything "wrong" with it. If you feel you live in a safe enough place as long as your not too long its ok, just be aware that a person can easily hop in your car and just drive off. B4 i leave for work in the morning i'll start my car, go inside and give myself a quick shave and when i get back the car is warm.

 

[yamahaSHO]

Rob94:

yamahaSHO:

rangerj:
Never leave a running automobile unattended.

There is nothing wrong with leaving a running car unattended...

I do hope you are joking. The mechanical things that can go wrong and grenade your entire engine aside

There is absolutely nothing wrong... in fact, on diesels you should leave it on. If your motor cannot idle alone without breaking anything, then that motor is shot anyway and will "grenade" driving with any load.

Rob94:
it is an open invitation for car thieves to take a joy ride.

That is a given... do this at your own risk. When I was in NY I would let the rental car idle for 1/2 hour... never stolen.

<small>[ December 13, 2003, 03:01 AM: Message edited by: yamahaSHO ]</small>

 

[SHOoff89]

In some places (like here) it is illegal to leave your car running unattended. I learned this after using my remote start one very cold morning and the local sheriff was across the street and saw my lights come on and the car start by itself. According to him, the car must remain visable at all times, but he did say that the law was only there to prevent theft and he didn't give me a ticket.

 

[SHOZ123]

There is always the reason that letting a cold engine idle in cold weather is one of the worst thing you can do to a motor. Condensation will form water and acids that dilute the oil, add more gunk to the intake and rot the exhaust system. Plus none of the non-motor moving parts are being warmed up.

There is no reason a diesel engine should be left running in cold weather. This goes back to the old days of bad fuel, poor maintenance and weak batteries.

<small>[ December 13, 2003, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: SHOZ123 ]</small>

 

[revhardSHO]

There is always the reason that letting a cold engine idle in cold weather is one of the worst thing you can do to a motor. Condensation will form water and acids that dilute the oil, add more gunk to the intake and rot the exhaust system. Plus none of the non-motor moving parts are being warmed up.

Ill say it again...There is nothing wrong with leaving a car running unattended.

Buy letting a cold engine idle in cold weather you are, and will over a matter of a few minutes (given that the t-stat and cooling system are in correct operational condition) warm up the engine to its optimum operating temp. So for a matter of minutes (while the engine is heating up) yes, you will be producing access water, which exits the vehicle through the exhaust system. Once the vehicle has reached normal operating temperature most of the residual water in the exhaust will evaporate, as hotter, better burned exhaust gases flow through the system. The % of these minor acids and water that actually dilute the oil is extremely minimal. The lubrication system should not be affected by any measurable amount. You must also keep in mind that our SHOs have an extremely efficient combustion process (as do most newer distributorless vehicles) the pent-roof combustion chamber design also aids in very efficient overall burn in dynamic temperatures and conditions.

The BENIFITS of leaving your vehicle running and letting it warm up FAR outweigh the bad. Oil gets thicker when it’s cold (and hence less lubrication). Letting an engine warm up provides time for this oil to also warm up and provide better lubrication, all while the engine is under no load whatsoever, simply idling...the least amount of running stress. SHOZ123, would you rather prefer letting your oil warm up while you climb through the rpm range and work through the gears, applying much greater stress and pressure on an engine with cold oil that is not lubricating to its fullest extent? I sure wouldnt...
Next if you have an MTX SHO, your gearbox will eventually get heat soak from the motor and heat up pretty good. Again, the lubrication here also works better when it’s warmer, providing easier shifts and prolonging gearbox life. That’s all I can think of right now, but I will continue to leave my car idling in the mooring. Speaking from experience, as Saranac Lake is one of the coldest places in the entire USA throughout the winter (just look on the national news sometime), I can honestly say your car will love more if let her warm up in cold weather. If you are in check with your car and maintain it, you should have no problem with letting it run. If you do, your paraniod. finger

SHOZ123,
Why is that almost every time i see a tractor trailer or deisel truck; whether it be at a rest stop or simply sitting in a parking lot, its idling? Why do they run their engines long into the night? Do they like to waste fuel? Why do the school buses idle for periods of 1-2 hours while stationary? Is it all for fun? shrug
please, "enlighten" me wink

 

[revhardSHO]

Rob94:

yamahaSHO:

rangerj:
Never leave a running automobile unattended.

There is nothing wrong with leaving a running car unattended...

I do hope you are joking. The mechanical things that can go wrong and grenade your entire engine aside, it is an open invitation for car thieves to take a joy ride.

so you think the engine experiances more stress at complete idle than it does at 7K rpm under extreme load? If thats your reasoning why do you own a SHO? nono

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

SHOZ123:

There is no reason a diesel engine should be left running in cold weather. This goes back to the old days of bad fuel, poor maintenance and weak batteries.

Correct. Truck drivers only choose to keep their rigs running these days. They do not need to remain running as they did years ago. The days of worrying about your electrical system taking a dump in the night, and fearing the possibility of waking up to hard start (either dead battery, or severe cold weather) are long gone. Have you noticed how many new trucks utilize LED lighting now thumb And todays batteries have excellent cold cranking ratings.

BTW, everyone check this link:

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/infosource/pub/atf/idlingnohwhere.html

 

[Mr Anonymous]

It's amazing just what kind of asinine debates people get in to here. squint

 

[SHOZ123]

I have yet to read anywhere that states prolonged idling to warm up a car in cold weather is good for the engine. And that can be backed up with data.

I live in Central Illinois and my cars sit out all night. Start them up, idle for a minute or two and away I go. Been doing this for over 30 years and a million miles.

I know from my catch can that I have, what is produced in the engine as far as blowby is concerned. Over 50% of the gross quantity is water based. This is aggravated by the cold weather.

 

[revhardSHO]

SHOZ123:
I have yet to read anywhere that states prolonged idling to warm up a car in cold weather is good for the engine. And that can be backed up with data.

I live in Central Illinois and my cars sit out all night. Start them up, idle for a minute or two and away I go. Been doing this for over 30 years and a million miles.

I know from my catch can that I have, what is produced in the engine as far as blowby is concerned. Over 50% of the gross quantity is water based. This is aggravated by the cold weather.

I let the SHO run for 12-20min on a cold day. This also clears up the frosted windshield and windows.

It's amazing just what kind of asinine debates people get in to here.

do you have anything worthwhile to add? squint

 

[SHOguy 92]

SHOZ123:
I have yet to read anywhere that states prolonged idling to warm up a car in cold weather is good for the engine. And that can be backed up with data.

I live in Central Illinois and my cars sit out all night. Start them up, idle for a minute or two and away I go. Been doing this for over 30 years and a million miles.

I know from my catch can that I have, what is produced in the engine as far as blowby is concerned. Over 50% of the gross quantity is water based. This is aggravated by the cold weather.

Heres the data, start your car up and take off without warming it up then take it to a little jaunt to 5k I bt you see blue smoke. If that isn't enough reasoningwhat is. You ned to give the metal time to expand and fill the bore of the cylinders for a good seal to prevent oil burn.

Anyways, I don't have to worry abou someone cleptoing my car, it would be about the stupidest place in the world to steal a car where I wqork. I work at the county garage on sherrif's cars. Most of the time I park right along the sherri's cars. So unless someone wants almost every sherrif in the county on them they won't take it.