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Severe Frost Damage Caused Overheating


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2000 is200 Sport Styling

Severe frost is of course relative to what we're used to here in Dublin but last week it got to about -10 C and less where I had my car parked. Driving it last week, after about an hour a weird rattling/ scratching noise from behind the dash.

I stopped and had a look but nothing untoward.

Restarting the car took a few seconds giving it high revs to get it going.

I had about another hour to drive in which the car started overheating and a mile from home engine lights went on and temperature gauge did a little dance up and down followed by a dull clunk noise from the engine.

I couldn't leave the car where it was as it was covered in snow and only space for traffic. The car made it home and restarts normally now running smoothly with engine lights still on (engine light constant and flashing traction light).

I don't know much about cars but had a service recently and passed MOT with flying colours. All consumable levels were fine before frost but I'm not sure if antifreeze was used. Could it be a burst pipe or water pump or something radiator related?

The car was misfiring a while back with dodgy coil packs but I'm hoping this isn't related.

I have to wait till after the snow before getting it looked at.

Any ideas on what could be wrong?

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I wouldnt think the head gasket would go from freezing

It does sound like something froze from what you have described, if your block did freeze it would disslodge the core plugs or crack the block both are very serious but its possible another part of the coolant system froze causing poor flow and then the overheating problem.

Driving the car whilst overheating to the point where it conks out could be very damaging and could blow the headgasket/warp the head.

If it is a freezing proplem the noise from your dash would have been the heater matrix either filling or leaking due to moving ice.

I check the antifreeze to attemp to access its strenght if it just looks like water then it probably did freeze, but even if it looks good i would replace it with new stuff anyway to be safe.

Other than that i would try to get the car indoors, a friends garage or a work shop and when you know the whole system is defrosted, then run it and look for coolant leaks core plugs would be a huge leak but anything could have bust, water pump, radiator, heater pipes, thermostat housing etc.

It however posible that the problem is completely unrelated to the cold and just a coincidence. In which case it needs more looking at.

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Well check it out now dont wait if you ant got antifreeze in you can get loads of trouble more than you got now if it gets colder.

Problems are head gasket, blowed cor plug, burst pipe, blown rad.,cracked head or block

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You still need to check if anifreeze is in, just lift bonnet and stick your finger in top of rad if it clear water you ant got none in, if he is not coming till after xmas then drain your system to be on the safe side otherwise if it gets colder it could be costly, at the moment you may have been looky?

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