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vauxhall engine - frozen engine - jdb71

my starter motor had packed up so the car was parked up when the weather was really cold i ordered a starter motor but when we tried to bump start it it just seized up and is dead it was parked up for a week it had been running fine up until it not starting and has just been mot,d we think there was no anti freeze in the car any suggestions much appreciated

vauxhall engine - frozen engine - injection doc
wait till it thaws, if you can remove any hoses you could try pouring some antifreez in the system.
i suspect if it was frozen then the water pump would of been frozen & if its can belt driven will most likley strip the belt & the valves will have a coming together.
Why on earth was there no antifreeze in it ? its not just for cold weather as it has anti corrosion properties in it too !
First you need to check cam belt & water pump!
vauxhall engine - frozen engine - Rebecca_RJNetShowroom
If your car had no anti freeze in it there is a fair chance the head is cracked. This is because the capillaries are so tiny and when water freezes it expands and causes major damage.

Check the oil and check the coolant. You can buy indicators to put in the coolant to check the antifreeze protection level. You need to check the oil to see if you have oil and coolant mixed.

When it actually started before it stopped was there anything coming out of the exhaust? Also what did the engine sound like? Was there enough oil in it?
vauxhall engine - frozen engine - tdc

After doing all checks as suggested by previous posters(don`t forget to see if any core plugs have been pushed out too) .......if you can get an electric cable to your engine you could try a small electric heater under the bonnet....but don`t let heater get wet,make sure you keep an eye on it and switch on/off at mains,not at heater,use circuit breaker and don`t touch car or heater whilst it`s thawing.Then use warm(not hot) water to top up and see what leaks appear.If none,then drain and flush complete system incl reverse flushing rad&heater matrix.Use at least 30% antifreeze in mix when satisfied and having already run with no leaks with just water,or else you might just be wasting your money.

If you have been running it a long time without antifreeze,chances are the waterways are badly corroded,rad /heater matrix blocked with crud hence importance to flush engine thoroughly.Sounds like it was only a matter of time before the head gasket let go anyway.Would be very surprised if you`ve got away with it as it was well below freezing for a long continued period but good luck

vauxhall engine - frozen engine - jdb71

thanks for the quick reply i only bought the car a couple of months ago and am gutted i never checked the anti freeze reading the replies i have recieved i think the car is going the scrap yard and im back to walking to work