Water pump replaced think lines are frozen

Tiny
EMILIO RAMIREZ
  • MEMBER
  • 2006 GMC ENVOY
  • 5.3L
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 230,000 MILES
I replace the water pump. The weather here is cold below freezing I think the radiator lines were frozen. So I thawed them out. How can I tell if it's good to go? I just don't want to blow my engine.
Friday, January 17th, 2020 AT 3:55 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,870 POSTS
Run the engine and watch the temperature gauge. If there is some antifreeze in the cooling system, the coolant will turn to slush, not ice. That slush won't expand to cause things to break like ice does, but it will prevent coolant from flowing through the radiator. If you see the temperature gauge rising higher than normal, stop the engine and let the heat under the hood work its way to the radiator. Run the engine again ten to fifteen minutes later and keep repeating this until flow through the radiator begins. At that point you can drain some of the water out and add new antifreeze. Be sure to use straight antifreeze, not the 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze a lot of companies try to trick us with.
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Friday, January 17th, 2020 AT 4:07 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Good evening,

When you replaced the pump, did coolant flow out of the block?

Did you have coolant in the engine or straight water?

As far as defrosting, you need to put it in a warm environment if it is frozen. Otherwise, you will need to get a big blanket that has an electric heater to heat up the motor.

Roy
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Friday, January 17th, 2020 AT 4:09 PM

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