Cracked Block? Head? Headgasket?

Hi,
My Toyota Tacoma's coolant froze, and I am trying to determine what has
happened to my engine (2.4 2RZFE). In the cold my truck would not turn
over. I put a space heater under it for about four or five hours, and
tried again. This time it ran for about five minutes before dying. I
have heard about the cold cracking engine blocks, so that was my first
suspicion. I checked my oil and it looked like milk.

I have two theories about what might have gone wrong:

1: I cracked my block with the temp change

2: My hoses might not have been completely thawed and I may have blown
my head gasket. The truck will not run right now.

How do I determine which has happened? If the block is bad I will be in
for a new engine, but if it is only the head, then I will just fix
that. I just don't know how to test? What else could have gone wrong?
Thanks

<engele@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1165346910.415192.300060@80g2000cwy.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> Hi,
> My Toyota Tacoma's coolant froze, and I am trying to determine what has
> happened to my engine (2.4 2RZFE). In the cold my truck would not turn
> over. I put a space heater under it for about four or five hours, and
> tried again. This time it ran for about five minutes before dying. I
> have heard about the cold cracking engine blocks, so that was my first
> suspicion. I checked my oil and it looked like milk.
>[/color]

Oil that looks like milk is a sign that coolant has mixed with the engine
oil. This can happen from a head gasket leak, a cracked head, or a cracked
block. If the coolant was allowed to freeze, any or all of the above could
be the result.
[color=blue]
> I have two theories about what might have gone wrong:
>
> 1: I cracked my block with the temp change
>
> 2: My hoses might not have been completely thawed and I may have blown
> my head gasket. The truck will not run right now.
>
> How do I determine which has happened? If the block is bad I will be in
> for a new engine, but if it is only the head, then I will just fix
> that. I just don't know how to test? What else could have gone wrong?
> Thanks
>[/color]

First, determine why the engine will not run. If the engine turns over,
then check for the basics - air, fuel, and a source of ignition.

The way to check is to pull the head, examine the head gasket for signs of
leaks, and send the head to a shop to be checked for cracks. If the head
and the head gasket are OK, then start shopping for a new engine. If the
head gasket and/or head do show signs of leaks, you may still need a new
engine.

You have probably learned your lesson, but just in case, always check the
condition of the coolant and do not use straight water in the cooling
system.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)