Plz help- scared i might have froze my lt1

[po_bird]

I just bought a wrecked 94 camaro for the lt1 engine and 4l60e tranny. It wasnt running because of a bad ignition module. We just got 8 inches of snow and now im worried there wasnt enough antifreeze in the motor. I know the cooling system is reversed on this version so the water flows to the heads down to the block. I wasnt sure before, so i added full concestrate antifreeze through the thermostat housing. It took the whole gallon so i beleive it was already low. Im not sure if the coolant went to block or radiator first. Anyone know about that? After i added the gallon of antifreeze i turned over the engine until my battery went dead hoping to make the coolant enter the block. I was worried that the coolant wasnt mixed well so i pulled the draincock on the radiator and pulled the upper and lower radiator hoses and let it all drain. Was that a good thing or did i mess up?

[unclewatts]

If the engine is completely drained of water like you said it was, cold can't hurt the engine. If there is damage, the first thing to check is your freeze plugs on the lower sides of the block to see if their pushed out. If the water level in your cooling system is low enough, turning over the engine doesn't do any good because the water level is below the water pump and the pump doesn't have anything to pump. Hope this helps.

[LockDoc]

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I don't know about the engine but if you left the dead battery out in the freezing temps it will freeze and ruin the plates inside the battery.

I'm not familiar with the lt1 but the earlier small blocks had a 1/4" plug on each side of the block, between the freeze plugs that you could take out to completely drain the block.

LockDoc

[po_bird]

I did fill the coolant from the thermo housing and radiator then i cranked the engine. So hopefully i got enough in the engine to mix with what ever was in it to keep from freezing. I dont know how much coolant will drain through the radiator and hoses. But after i drained it. I rotated the engine to get the pump to push out any water it could get. I just checked the freeze plugs and they are still in. I bought this car to put the engine and tranny in my 72 gmc. So im worried about ruining a great engine and wasting my $$. "unclewatts" that was my goal to drain enough fluid to keep anything from freezing and expanding in the motor. But a couple of people said i shouldnt have done that because it would damage the engine. I dont see how. But it made me second guess my self.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by po_bird

We just got 8 inches of snow and now im worried there wasnt enough antifreeze in the motor.

You mean it was low on coolant/antifreeze (it had the proper mix ratio, just a low level) or you just had it full of plain water?

If you had the proper mix in it, but the level was low, that won't hurt anything at all. The volume doesn't matter, just the mix ratio (Ok, it matters a lot when it's running).

The amount of snow you have doesn't matter either, how cold is it? I used to live in NY and we had lots of snow when it was above freezing.

My grandpa did kill a low mileage great running 350 back in the day. It had a coolant leak and he had been running water in it until he could fix it, winter and freezing temps came early. Only one freeze plug popped out and the engine had a nice big crack in it on the drivers side. But he had an engine full of straight water.

[po_bird]

Im not sure if it had the proper mix. But i do know it was not strait water. I believe the low was around 18f. Enough to freeze. IM NOT SURE WHY I FELT THE NEED TO STATE HOW MUCH SNOW FELL. HAHAHA... OH WELL.
I LOVE THAT SIGNATURE CHEVYREDNECK

[special-K]

That`s what I was going to ask.Are you just now worried about it because it hasn`t hit freezing temps until this snow?

[po_bird]

Well i has gotten down to 11 degrees befor i bought it. But that was before I forked out 800 bucks and it belonged to someone else. I know its pretty much too late now. But its killing my nerves. Im fixing to check on it now. If i dont update today, i might be buried in the snow. Hahaha...

[Hottrucks]

I winterize alot of boats wanna guess how???

yep pul the lower hose and fill them with RV anti freeze till it runs out...oh by the way if it ran out it wasn't froze...duh..frozen water doesn't move...and as far as the snow it's you best freind...it keeps the wind from blowing right though the car....snow temp is around 25/28* alot warmer than outside temps ..you'll be fine....

[po_bird]

well duh.. thats why i said "I wasnt sure BEFORE, so i added full concestrate antifreeze through the thermostat housing"... BUT YOUR STATEMENT ;"snow temp is around 25/28* alot warmer than outside temps ..you'll be fine...." MAKES ME FEEL A LOT BETTER. THANKS

[Hottrucks]

no big deal ....bury that thing till your ready to do the transplant....I got a call the other day to buy a 85 Iroc for cheap...did some research and found out it was a 305?? bummer or that thing would be buried in my yard...they make great donor cars..and the bodys are worth a few $$ to the guys that race the local tracks so it's easy to get a a few $$ back without the bs of scrapping it

[djracer]

I won't swear to this but I have been told straight antifreeze will freeze.

[po_bird]

Ok i just got done playing in the snow and i am pleased to update this forum that my lt1 is still ok. Freeze plugs are still in. No water in the oil. I filled it will almost 2 gallons of coolant and ran the engine. Every thing is working great. No leaking any where.
THANKS FOR ALL THE INPUT YOU GUYS. I CANT WAIT TO GET THIS POWER TRAIN IN MY TRUCK.