Posted by Jonas on Saturday, November 22, 2003 at 2:39PM :
My AC tractor had a crack in the exaust manifold apparently, anyway... We've had a lot of rain lately, and in the past few days it froze. I did not realize the crack untill I went to try and start my tractor and It would'nt turn over. I pulled the plugs to find slushy water coming out of the #4 plug hole.
I then pulled the head off and found #4 cylinder full of ice. Remember folks... I'm working outside since I need the tractor to get materials up to get a roof on my shop.
So I get a MAPP gas torch out and a shop vac and start melting the ice and vaccuuming the water out. I got the ice out and it turns over just fine.
I start installing the head back on the tractor and it starts snowing again... Hard!!! Now I'm getting water down in the head wich is going on through the motor onto the lifters and what not down below, but not in the cylinders at least.
It's now 9:00 PM and I have the thing all back together and turns over just fine but wont start. Since I have had it with the thing am tired, and realize that I'm getting ready to do stupid things to it, not to mention that I have to get up at 4:30 AM for a 95 mile drive to work over a icy mountian pass, and a 24 hour shift... I put the tools away, cover the tractor up with a heavy tarp, and go to bed.
Flash forward to today when I get home from work. The tractor wont turn over again. I pull the head off and the cylinders are clear of visible ice, but there is ice on the valvetrain of the head, and I'm sure theres trace amounts of ice down in the cam/ lifter area. It will not crank with the head off, so something is jamming it up.
How can I thaw this out?
I tried building a small campfire under it, but to get the fire big enough to thaw it out... I think I will be looking at a black, smoking, carcass of a backhoe later this afternoon. (Marty... Bring down the marshmallows!!!!)
Should I just wait untill the temps warm up (if the do before april!!!)?
What a pain in the arse!!!!
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