Went out to start the focus, i think the garage has just filled the rad back up with water without any antifreeze. I started the car to warm it up and could smell a burning coming from the bay area.

So knocked it off and opened the bonnet, seems the water in the pipes from the expansion tank and the rad has frozen.. Anybody got any ideas how i can get it going or will the heat from the engine just melt this OR should i not drive it while its like that?

cheers.

 

Oh dear....

 

yup i know, i just assumed it would have antifreeze in seen as its just come from the garage for a few replacement rad hoses!

I knocked it off straight away so im just going to hope and pray no damage has been done!

 

if its just come from the garage after having hoses replaced and the coolant is frozen then they have not done they're job properly.

get onto the phone and tell them to recover the car and sort it out as it their fault and any damaged caused buy it they will have to pay for!!!

 

garage is closed now mate otherwise id phone them, do you think any lasting damage could be done? i knocked it off STRAIGHT away once i smelt some burning and i hadnt moved the car luckily because i was fitting a carseat!`

 

Well sounds like the Water pump has locked ... That would explain the Burning smell.

 

worst case cenario with coolant freezing is a cracked block.

if your lucky it'll just need a water pump and belts but could also pop core plugs, burst hose connections and also burst rad and heater matrix.

 

if im lucky it wnt need anything and it will have just been the belt slipping around the water pump pulley, the car wasnt turned on long enough to cause any kind of lasting engine damage i hope.

 

oh and iv had a quick check over the block for core plugs bursting or popping out and everything SEEMS ok in that regards!

 

As said almost defo belt burning on the water pump pulley with it being stuck solid, do you have a fan heater that you can leave in the garage overnight, if you do try getting it pointing at the rad any heat will naturally circulate, the rad would likely be the first thing to get damaged, due to it being much weaker construction.
Next find a different garage or diy, invest in a haynes manual, focus is a really easy car to maintain.
tabetha

 

I had the same problem with an omega v6 this time last year. The burning smell/smoke was the aux belt burning out. Once it snapped i turned off the engine and went for a beer! Once it had thawed out i filled it with water and it pissed out of every place it could. what was bought as a cheap car to sell on had too be sold as a non runner for a loss, as the engine needed a full strip down.
As said above, the garage has fooked up big time, and should recover your car and repair it, no question.

 

I'd be checking that the timing belt hasn't jump or damaged it's teeth due to the pump being solid!

 

the belt hasnt snapped and it was turned on for about 60 seconds.

 

2 seconds is more then anuff if the water is frozen in the block, hope it as not fucked the water pump. Had to de-ice a pug 307 on monday every pipe had frozen, and it put a hole in the rad, had to take every pipe off run lots of warn water over n though the block n turn it over by hand

 

yeah im not going to try and turn it over until the water has thawed out tomorrow..

 

Turn it over by hand first and make sure the water pump is turning.

 

my brother had this problem on his c20let and the belt jumped on the cam pullys and bent all 16 valves.

 

hopefully you'll be fine mate. the water pump runs off the aux belt so so long as that hasn't made the cam belt jump and the block is ok the engine should be fine.

 

yeah i love all the positivity lmao, everybody just brings horror stories up of friends of brothers or friends cars etc etc.

 

ok heres a little possitivity for you mate. i've not heard of a cracked block on a focus.

hows that for you mate?

























mind you, i've not heard of many focus's freezing up


think possitive mate, the worst case cenario is the rarer case so let it thaw out and i'm sure there will be little damage..........grasping huge logs now

 

Infact, thinking about it my first car, a mk2 cav sri froze up on new years day 1997, and the car run for about a minute squealing its knackers off until the cambelt snapped! me and vauxhalls in freezing conditions have never really got on. Never had a problem with the 25+ sierras i've owned.

 

I thought the zetec water pumps were powered by the serpentine/aux belt not the timing belt, may be I'm losing it!!
tabetha

 

yeah exactly.. its not by the timing/cam belt.

 

your bang on which is why i doubt the cam belt would have jumped.

if the pump didnt give way and stayed locked solid and just the aux belt slipped on it that will be what caused the burning smell and may need replacing.

fingers crossed nothing is fucked.

 

aye thats it, and if the engine is fucked.. well it wont be a standard 2 litre going back in put it that way!!

 

If this is a garage then clearly it's a very ameturish setup, even an idiot knows to fill with anti freeze remember it's not just there for to prevent freezing it also has a anti corrosion inhibitor. If it was me personally I would wrap the engine with a blanket etc and let it thaw naturally as one extreme of temperature to another is never a good thing, I certainly would not start or drive.

The pump runs off the aux belt the same as it does on most cars not the timing belt.


Martin

 

Biggest bummer is if the water pump does need replacing then you have to remove the cam belt to do it :-(

 

Would wrapping the engine in a blanket really do any good though as surely the elements can still get to it from underneath?

 

I know yeah :/

I honestly cant see any engine damage being done as it was turned on for 60 seconds if that. Im thinking at worst the water pump could be fucked.

 

i would have thought if the belt was gonna slip it would slip in the first few seconds and kill the engine and if the engine had any other damage it would prob show up in 60 secs of running...depending on where the damage is.


i think your ok tbh from what you've said.

 

no you dont you can slide it behind the belt no problem

 

i personally would take the aux belt of and start the engine, leave it to get warm and once you are able to move the water pump by hand re fit the aux belt and run again till fully defrosted, switch off allow to cool then dump the water and replace with antifreeze.
focus will bleed itself if you hold revs at 1500ish with rad cap off a knackered w/pump will show up by either noise or cold spots on certain pipes/parts of the rad/ parts of the engine if not pumping

 

Well il be giving the car a look over in a couple of hours seeing if i can get it going etc, Thanks for all the responses everybody it means alot! cheers.

 

Is the garage closed till monday or closed fullstop?! If anything is fucked but u have messed around with it you could leave urself open to them turning around and saying you fucked it...............

Personally would be best to leave it and kick off with them monday and let them try and check it all so its down on them

 

*UPDATE*

The cars fine, had a full check over everything it was all defrosted etc and turned it by hand before starting it, started it let it tick over for 20 minutes and everythings normal

PANIC OVER! haha

 

I've serviced a ford escort 2 years in a row, reported to the customer that it has no anti freeze, she doesn't seem to give a shit, really hope it freezes this year

Its prob had none inn since she had the waterpump done as cheap as possible at another garage, sure she thinks anti freeze is a mythical need

 

Great news for you

I hope you have added some antifreeze to the water lol

Steve

 

Studabear.... If your servicing it why have you not put any in for the last 2 years then?

 

Another factor that people seem to ignor or not understand is that its ability to not freeze at sub zero temperatures is only one of its purposes, the second is that it is a rust inhibitor, water+cast iron block=rust, the most venerable parts are around the mating faces of the block which can lead to faliure. I forget how many times i have seen corroded blocks at the head gasket interface that are as good as scrap due to this

 

Glad to hear it's running again, you have done a coolant change though?

Martin