coolant & hard start?

[stanchua]

so my cb7 started with smokes coming out from the hood, but the technician said the car started fine and he cant pinpoint any problems with the car after he moved the car into his heated garage

i was just wondering if it could be my coolant frozen coz it was really cold tat night...

if coolant are "partly" frozen (wrong mixture of water and antifreeze), could that jam the water pump and hence making the car to start (crank for longer period)? and make burning smell?

[BootlegCB7]

if it is frozen to the degree that it can jam water pump, I suggest you not to start your car. Cold engine usually takes longer to start, so get a block heater for the winter.

[NAiL05]

If it jams the water pump I would think the water pump gear would break if its bad enough. Usually this is what I do since I am up in IL now. I put a lot more coolant in my engine instead of water. Main reason to prevent ice from forming. Thats just my rule of thumb. But yea it sucks since when water freezes it expands and that can cause more problems internally. The hard start could just because its the cold weather and it takes more voltage to start up. Coolant/Antifreeze doesnt freeze (it does but its low as hell) water does.

[stanchua]

and for burning smell & smoke out of the hood? would jammed water pump make those stuff?

[Old School]

"

Your Tec should have a tester that checks the specific gravity of the mixture of the antifreeze. These are usually a floating ball type. This will tell you what the freezing/boiling point of the mixture is. These can be purchased for about $5.00 at most parts stores. This will tell you if it was weak enough to freeze and possibly be the cause of your problem.

"

[92bently]

yeh i would go grad a hydrometer, i use mine all the time at work,goo investment and that can definately lead u in the right direction, there is obviously someting wrong if u have some comming out from under your hood, its a shame that a tech cant find it

[stanchua]

he's really an idiot...

[NAiL05]

and for burning smell & smoke out of the hood? would jammed water pump make those stuff?

If you had ice in your system opening the radiator cap would have told you what was frozen and what was not.

[stanchua]

it has ice in it but not the whole piece

[BootlegCB7]

drain the ice bits and put warm new coolant in and flush the frozen parts?
I never had much experience with cold weather, but If i move to somewhere cold, i will definitely get some kind of engine protection for the winter and store the car inside.