Frozen coolant

[fronton]

Thanks to the "arctic vortex" the NE is enjoying, my coolant partially froze. Apparently I didn't not have enough antifreeze in the mix for sub zero (F) temps. Most of the hoses were expanded with slushy ice. The expanding ice worked its way out of the hose connection to the bottom of the tstat as well as the hose to the coolant rail.

I was relieved that the hoses let the ice out because that should mean the pressure was relieved there rather than my engine block or radiator correct? Further, when I removed the hoses, the iced 'coolant' inside was more like compacted shaved ice than a solid block of frozen water, so it had some give to it.

After thawing the system out with a space heater and disconnecting most of the hoses, the system doesn't appear to leak anywhere. Of course I won't know for sure until I reconnect, refill and run till it is fully pressured.

Has any one else had this situation where a hose or two let ice out? Was anything damaged?

Is it ok to leave whatever ~5-10% of coolant may be left in the system for the rest of the winter as long as I keep the hoses off so pressure can't build?

No, I did not try starting the car, I just came out to make sure my coolant hadn't frozen...

UPDATE: The extreme cold cracked the far side of heater core plastic. New heater core is in, fresh 50/50 BMW/distilled mix and all is well. Note to those still using the car's original heater core: replace it before it cracks! OEM are only $150 new and I was surprised at how much grime was in there. Don't forget the o-rings.

[LJ851]

Why not run the correct amount of anti freeze for the temps you will be experiencing?

I would pressure test the cooling system to determine if any damage has happened.

[flyboyx]

ah man....that sucks. hopefully there was no damage. you won't know until you fill it back up and run it. go buy a new jug and a gallon of distilled water. 50/50 mix is best. for some reason, that is what gives you the lowest freezing point. get it filled and run it long enough to open up the tstat and circulate. then, check your oil to make sure you don't have mayonnaise.

[McGyver]

Why not run the correct amount of anti freeze for the temps you will be experiencing?

This is a freak cold front that is hitting the east coast. "* WIND CHILL VALUES: 5 TO 10 BELOW ZERO DUE TO TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 5 AND 10 DEGREES ABOVE ZERO COMBINED WITH WEST WINDS AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH."

OP, I don't have an answer to your question but I'm glad you asked it. I'm going to check the mix in my vert to make sure I don't have the same problem.

[slammin.e28]

I came out to the e34 and noticed the gallon (full) jug of distilled water I had was a solid, milk bottle shaped, block of ice. One of my diluted bottles of coolant was a slushy. Close call.

The other bottle of BMW coolant I mixed the day before hadn't frozen, so I was happy.

[lolcantturn]

I have like 60% distilled water and then 40% 50/50 antifreeze mix, I just start my car and hope the needle doesn't hit the red (blown head) heh..

[jhaurimn]

It felt like -50 this morning. I really hope the coolant in my m3 didnt freeze...

[jlevie]

I have like 60% distilled water and then 40% 50/50 antifreeze mix, I just start my car and hope the needle doesn't hit the red (blown head) heh..

That coolant mix sounds pretty iffy for New Jersey. A 60:40 dilution using 50:50 mix yields about an 80:20 coolant. Which is only good to 14F.

[AndrewBird]

Wind chill doesn't affect freezing things. It is purely how cold the air feels, not actual temp.

Buy a hydrometer and add coolant to the system until the hydrometer reads low enough. They are under $5 at the auto parts store.

[fronton]

Wind chill doesn't affect freezing things. It is purely how cold the air feels, not actual temp.

True for a garaged situation, not for outdoors. Think about how a radiator works.

Any one have thoughts on if it is ok to leave my system in its current state of disconnected hoses despite likely having some coolant in the block? I wanted to redo the cooling system anyway over the winter so I'm not too keen on putting it all back together and filling with antifreeze.

For at least tonight's projected -8F, I'll leave a light bulb or space heater on low.

[Mlarsen]

I've used the same bulk 50/50 coolant that already uses distilled water in all the my vehicles for as long as I can remember. Never had any issues, it usually test down to like -40 degrees. I bet you'll be replacing your hoses here in the spring if they got all swollen.

[nrubenstein]

True for a garaged situation, not for outdoors. Think about how a radiator works.

Any one have thoughts on if it is ok to leave my system in its current state of disconnected hoses despite likely having some coolant in the block? I wanted to redo the cooling system anyway over the winter so I'm not too keen on putting it all back together and filling with antifreeze.

For at least tonight's projected -8F, I'll leave a light bulb or space heater on low.

1). Wind chill is only a measure of how rapidly you lose heat. No matter how windy it is, you still won't cool below the actual ambient temperature. You just get there a lot faster when it's windy. Doesn't really matter because we can safely assume that the car will get to ambient either way.

2). You also need to check the freeze plugs on the side of the block. According to google, the S38 has four. There's an excellent chance you've popped them out.

3). I would strongly recommend some sort of heat source in the engine bay. I would recommend putting coolant in, but I'm not at all confident that it will hold it. The heater core is a real concern too.

[Mlarsen]

^ Oh yeah I didn't even think about the freeze plugs!

[g.ruff561]

Wait what!??? Water and then a 50/50 mix??????? It's amazing the really cheap things that people skimp on. Good oil, 50/50 coolant mix, the right plugs the first time, etc. but go out and spend hundreds of dollars on after market add ons that don't provide anything but cosmetics.

I can't tell you how many cars I've seen that look good, then you pop the hood and WTF......

IJS........

[fronton]

Wait what!??? Water and then a 50/50 mix??????? It's amazing the really cheap things that people skimp on. Good oil, 50/50 coolant mix, the right plugs the first time, etc. but go out and spend hundreds of dollars on after market add ons that don't provide anything but cosmetics.

I can't tell you how many cars I've seen that look good, then you pop the hood and WTF......

IJS........

No freezer plugs popped out and after thawing the coolant out, it wasn't leaking anywhere. Of course I'll know definitively after pressuring the system up to full operating temp but that probably won't be for a couple more months.