Frozen Engine in Jaguar STR (literally)
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 27,519
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From: Yorkshire, England
I'm going to bring back an old thread just to keep all the data together. My '04 XJR has frozen again. This time after almost no driving. It's been very cold here all week, below 0F every night and single digits the rest of the time. I last drove the car on Sunday December 24. Since then we had Christmas and I've had the week off from work. On Monday we had 4" of snow and I moved the car very briefly to do the snow clearing. It was fine then but I didn't keep it running long enough to warm up. On Wednesday I went and started the car, because I know it doesn't like the cold. It took a little longer than usual to start, but it started and ran fine. I ran it for about a minute, satisfied that it wasn't frozen. Today, Friday, I went out to do an errand and the car wouldn't start. It cranked very slowly for a few seconds and then stopped. Now all it does is click, which is exactly what it did last winter when it was frozen.
Somehow I don't think that this is a condition that only effects cars that have been on long drives. It really seems like it can strike anytime the temperature gets around 0F.
Somehow I don't think that this is a condition that only effects cars that have been on long drives. It really seems like it can strike anytime the temperature gets around 0F.
You've done roughly the best you could to flatten it.
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 6,100
Likes: 1,440
From: Arkansas
I went back and read through this thread from the beginning. I believe it's completely plausible, as Metal especially aluminum, condenses/sweats a lot in very cold weather. Case in point I had a 77" 550 Honda Motorcycle, which I had installed, K&N Shorty air filters. I went riding one very cold morning (15 Degrees F), as It was the only transportation I had at the time, and I was a lot younger. After about an hour of spirited riding, hilly and curvy roads. All of a sudden I couldn't close the throttle! Oh Shet!!! I was fairly close to where I was going so I used the kill switch to slow down before a corner, then flip it back on about half way through, and keep going till the next corner. when I got where I was going. I jumped off and started checking. My bike had the double cables on the throttle so you could open and close it. They wouldn't move, so I pulled out the tools and pulled the outside air filter, and looked in the throat to see what was sticking the throttle??? there was "Ice" in the throat of all the carbs ??? What the "Heck". Then I remembered my science lessons from school. It has to do with the velocity of the air and the chilling of the aluminum and this causes condensation! I'm not a scientist. All I can tell you is after the bike sat for half an hour, the warmth of the engine thawed the carbs, and I was able to work the throttle again. I reinstalled the air filters, and road a lot slower, on the way back, and it had started to warm up a little. So problem solved, I've also had a Ford with a 2 barrell carb, and an exposed (no filter housing) custom air filter, ice the carb and stick it. It has to do with the Increased velocity, as when you speed up the air going through the carb, the temperature drops. Kinda like wind chill, and the aluminum sweats/ condenses. So not exactly sure of the science. But I'm a firm believer in the fact, that it does happen.
Jack
Jack