Can extreme cold crack a block?

[m1garand_man]

So I decided to just buy a Boyce equippment 6.2 to replace the one I have with a cracked block.

I am wondering what might have caused the one that is in my truck now to develope a cracked block. Only thing I can think of was starting the truck all winter at work when it was below freezing. It would frequently be in the single didgets and some times as cold as -15 or so. I was running 15w40 all winter which probably was a mistake. I just am wondering could starting an extreemly cold engine like that have cracked the block? What measures can I take tp prevent this from happeneing again this next winter?

 

[Westech]

Make sure your coolant has a freeze point of -45* or below. Other then that nothing will hurt it. In the winter I would run 10W30 Diesel oil.

 

[ODdave]

where did the block crack?

 

[zout]

soft plugs should allow the expansion - low coolant protection level could be a culprit.

 

[m16ty]

Soft plugs very seldom prevent cracking. I know people call them "freeze plugs" but the only reason they are there is to get the sand out of the casting when the head or block was made. They were never designed to prevent cracking of the frozen coolant. Sometimes you do get lucky though and it only pushes the plugs out.

 

[doghead]

Did you test your coolant before winter, with a tester to see what temperature it was good for?

http://www.allproducts.com/tool/three-in-one/18-anti_freeze_tester-l.jpg

 

[1984M1009]

Main web cracks are common on the 6.2. If thats what happend to yours

 

[m1garand_man]

I'm not sure where the crack is yet. But redoing the head gaskets and having the heads rebuilt, machined and pressure tested didnt solve the issue with the coolant leaking into the crank case. I think that the coolant was fine allthough I didnt test it. When I put it in the previous winter it was a bit stronger than 50/50. Oh well its all water under the bridge now. Or coolant in the crank case I'll look for the culprit after I replace the engine and have time to take the old one apart.

 

[littlebob]

I would think it was the coolant/antifreeze. Any chance you bought the pre-diluted stuff and diluted it?
I've almost picked up the diluted antifreeze by mistake.

 

[m1garand_man]

dont think so since I used one of those things that you test coolant with by looking through it to see the percentage of strength it has.

 

[m16ty]

If you know that you put enough antifreeze in when you put it in you will be covered unless you added straight water to it at some point. Antifreeze doesn't loose it's antifreeze qualities with age.