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Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

Old Feb 8, 2003 | 02:33 PM
  #1  
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Default Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

I started taking apart the motor for removal today and before I went ahead of started on the head bolts I wanted to find out if there was a problem removing the bolts in a frozen engine?

I was told not to remove them when hot so wondered if the same held true for cold.

I'm a the point where I'm going to start to remove the head bolts and before I cause a problem I wanted to be sure.

Iron block, stock head bolts. Its been hovering around 5 degree's here on average for quite a while. I pushed it into the garage today and had frost on the manifolds, when I started up the heater it was a sweatfest, the whole car was dripping.

Thanks

<small>[ February 08, 2003, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: NoOne ]</small>
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Old Feb 10, 2003 | 01:18 PM
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Default Re: Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

Did you say the block was iron or aluminum?

As you know, the LS1s are aluminum with a thin steel insert and the block can;t be rebored...

When you say the block is frozen do you mean it is as cold as the 5 degree whether where you work or are you saying the engine will not turn because the rotating assembly is seized (frozen)? I hope it is not the later unless it is a customers car that you will make a bunch of money on....
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Old Feb 10, 2003 | 02:59 PM
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Default Re: Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

His car is an Iron block, not aluminum. And I'm sure he doesnt mean that the motor is actually frozen, just really cold.

It has been consistently between 0-15 deg for ahwile here in the great lakes. My car is in storage, and I wouldnt even start it up untill just recently when it got above freezing for a day or so. I have some work to do to the xhaust and i dont even want to bother with it untill it warms up a bit. (no garage heater <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> )
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Old Feb 10, 2003 | 03:12 PM
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Default Re: Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

Should be okay now.
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Old Feb 10, 2003 | 04:53 PM
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Default Re: Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

The motor is just frozen as in ice frozen. The manifolds are frosted and its damned cold to put your hands on while working.

I had a odd overheating issue that popped up after running it on a road course. We fiquired I starved the water pump or had some other anomaly, it started to puke out the overflow tank. We filled it and it was fine since then, didn't drive it much after that event and put it away.

I had thought of taking it apart anyways to goto an aluminum block so I started it up and it started to smoke under the hood and smelled like coolant, took it for a spin for nearly 30 minutes and it never got over 170 degree's...thought it was coolant from before but this was coming from behind the head.

There have been a little naggling problem here and there so instead of going at them one at a time and getting frustrated to find out it was something else I thought, screw it, I'm just going to take the whole thing apart over winter and do it myself.

Right now the passenger turbo is ready to drop, the driver side is a bit tougher, then the engine is coming out.

So I'll be back with a aluminum 346 in hopefully less than 2 months.
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Old Feb 10, 2003 | 04:59 PM
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Default Re: Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

You keep that thing off the streets! I don't want to pull up next to a TT Z28 this summer. My little 100 shot won't give you much competition.

Good luck with the car!
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Old Feb 11, 2003 | 12:17 AM
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Default Re: Working on Frozen Engine - Head Removal

what happened? blow a gasket?

if its in the garage overnight it should be warm enough
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