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Frozen water in a 98 Vortec 5.7

64FJ40

64FJ40

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Buddy's work truck:

Apparently it's been losing coolant for a long time, and he's just been adding water as needed. It sat for the past 3 weeks, then he went to move it the other day but it wouldn't start. After turning it over, he had ~6" of foamy slime over the oil line on the dipstick.

I'm guessing he already had a decent intake manifold leak based on his description of losing coolant gradually.

So... What dies when you freeze a Vortec block that would dump coolant into the oil pan? As far as I know, there was no leakage out onto the ground.

I'm planning to pull the intake and heads over the weekend, in case nothing major cracked and it's just gaskets (hopefully). Anything else to look at?
 
Not sure on the 5.7....but years ago I got SUPER sick with the flu during a COLD snap and let the 300ci. I6 in the tow rig freeze and the ice pushed the side of the block out.....hello water jacket!!:booo: Split it wide the **** open...about a 8" split. So my experience is if it froze...he'd know it.
 
Could be head gasket, intake gasket, even a cracked water jacket in the lifter valley. Tough to say. Kinda suprising that it didn't pop at least one freeze plug, though. Does it have an oil cooler in the radiator? Maybe there is a leak somewhere in there?
 
I bet it had a bad head gasket that was the cause of the original loosing coolant issue, that's how the water got in the oil. If it froze hard it would have likely poped a expansion plug.
I guess you'll find out when you take it apart.
 
im doing a set of heads right now on a vortec 454. froze over this cold sprint we had. I put my coolant pressure tester on it and no signs of a cracked block. Im willing to bet its just the head gaskets. the intake gaskets on the vortec engines are tits and dont typically fail
 
The blocks crack down in the valley....... Thats the only way your going to get coolant in the motor once it freezes. pretty common due to how thin the block is.

We used to see 5.7's in the 80's that would just "crack" there...

Pull the intake and you will see it...

And to add--its possable its the intake but out of 40 or so intakes I have seen I have never had coolant in the motor due to it...
 
If that 300 has no water in the oil you can weld that bock if it not to bad. We used to lay the car or truck on it side clean up the crack and weld it up.
 
freeze plugs? you guys must be lucky ****ers. Ive lost a few chev blocks, never lucky enough to be a frezeplug. Crash is right, open up the manifold and look for a crack right above the lifters on the valley wall running front to rear. Not related to your oil prob, they also like to crack above the oil pan rail on the side of the block too.

Ive replaced more freeze plugs due to rust than due to frozen push out.:beer:
 
CHOP SHOP said:
Ive replaced more freeze plugs due to rust than due to frozen push out.:beer:
Click to expand...

That's why they aren't called freeze plugs, their expansion plugs and the only reason they're there is for the production of the cast block.....The original post said there was 6" of foamy slime in the oil before it had been started. It didn't get foamy from just setting there freezing and leaking. The water was in the oil before it froze. My GUESS is this person assumed that the block froze to get the water in there. Probably has SOME anti freeze in it?.........
I would look for a head gasket issue.....Still a guess but hey:011:
 
crash said:
.....And to add--its possable its the intake but out of 40 or so intakes I have seen I have never had coolant in the motor due to it...
Click to expand...
Ditto, only I did see one....Funny thing---it was quiet when drove into shop, did the job: changed the oil, and IMMEDIATELY after startup, it knocked like a banshee!!!:haha:(spun a rod bearing)
 
Well I got a little more info today. It did start and run for a while, but when it took over a gallon of water to fill the radiator while it was warming up, he shut it down. That's when the dipstick looked all foamy.



I did a quick dry compression test today and got 130-140 on all cylinders.

I tried to drain the oil. After a few minutes, I had a funnel full of extra-thick peanut butter milkshake. I'm not sure if there is bearing damage or not. Not much obvious metal, but the goop is pretty thick to search through with a magnet. I don't have a coolant pressure tester, but it seems silly to test it at this point.

So then we started pulling everything off the top end to yank the motor.




Brian, I may be in touch once I get the motor out and figure out what went wrong - hopefully tuesday night.
 
64FJ40 said:
Well I got a little more info today. It did start and run for a while, but when it took over a gallon of water to fill the radiator while it was warming up, he shut it down. That's when the dipstick looked all foamy.



I did a quick dry compression test today and got 130-140 on all cylinders.

I tried to drain the oil. After a few minutes, I had a funnel full of extra-thick peanut butter milkshake. I'm not sure if there is bearing damage or not. Not much obvious metal, but the goop is pretty thick to search through with a magnet. I don't have a coolant pressure tester, but it seems silly to test it at this point.

So then we started pulling everything off the top end to yank the motor.




Brian, I may be in touch once I get the motor out and figure out what went wrong - hopefully tuesday night.
Click to expand...



If your interested ill hold it for you.
 
crash said:
The blocks crack down in the valley....... Thats the only way your going to get coolant in the motor once it freezes. pretty common due to how thin the block is.

We used to see 5.7's in the 80's that would just "crack" there...

Pull the intake and you will see it...
Click to expand...


Yup. Got both sides pretty good right under the pushrods. I had to pull the head to see the crack, but it's definitely dead.

Now to see what kind of budget I have to work with...
 
64FJ40 said:
Yup. Got both sides pretty good right under the pushrods. I had to pull the head to see the crack, but it's definitely dead.

Now to see what kind of budget I have to work with...
Click to expand...

Sounds about right--that area is pretty thin...
 

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