No heat+stalling=coolant problem?

[WOTDSM]

I have a shitty mixture of coolant in my system, and it's pretty low so I went to work yesterday with the weather being in the subzero temperature range (car is kept in a somewhat heated garage overnight) and the heat works on the way there and the car idles like a champ and then its nearing the end of my shift so I go start the car to warm it up, punch out, come back, car is dead. I started it back up, was at normal operating temp and heat was on full blast but it was pushing out cold air. Also the car idled like complete shit, around like 400-600. I pulled into my garage and the next morning I leave for work and the heat works and the car idles like a champ, I do the same thing as I did yesterday but this time on the way home I have heat! w00t, but if I turn the heat off the car wants to overheat and it still idles like poop, it also stalled as I was coming to a stop.

I am wondering if the shitty mix/low level of coolant is causing these problems. I think the coolant is freezing in the system and the ECT sensor is screwing up the mixture causing it to stall AND the frozen coolant is causing a major blockage in the system not letting any coolant flow to the block thus causing the near overheating. Does my theroy sound right? Thanks guys!

 

[shiner6n]

when you say shitty mixture how shitty is it like 20/80 or just a mess of all kinds of coolants you could find with little water

 

[WOTDSM]

It's like 20 parts coolant and 80 parts water yeah.

 

[deletrius]

I would definitely recommend flushing the coolant and refilling with a proper mixture of around 50/50. Give it a try and see what happens.

 

[Eastwood95]

yeah, 50/50 is a good mix in the winter in Michigan

 

[dsmpaul]

The symptoms are typical of your coolant freezing up. Don't play around, you will end up with very serious engine damage- freezing water expands with enough force to easily crack a cast iron block. Also the radiator and heater core will likely break open.
If you run an engine with frozen coolant, the coolant can't flow through the engine, and the heads will be extremely over heated, causing warping heads and blown head gaskets.
Immediately, draing the system while it's heated in your garage, and refill it with at least a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water. More antifreeze if you are in an extremely cold climate.

 

[WOTDSM]

Alright, the rundown of what I did. Let the car sit in the garage after work today, drained all the coolant out of the radiator not the entire system, and got a gallon of straight up anti freeze and threw it in there. Didn't drive it tonight at all because our garage is right over my mom's room, dont want to wake her. Hopefully that will eliminate my problems.

Edit: dsmpaul, thank you for joining just because you saw my post! just messin.

 

[talon91tsiawd1]

You should just dump it all out and get the 50/50 mix.

 

[WOTDSM]

Well I was driving the car around the other day and it wanted to stall again. I thought vaccum leak or ISC and nothing else of the problem. Went home to drop the fuel pump and put my 190 lph in and found a 255 HP installed. No afpr was installed either! No wonder my car was wanting to stall! Put the 190 in and it seems to be running better but my ISC is shot, one coil didn't measure any resistance at all so I will be changing that out this weekend.

 

[Turboeagletalon]

im from MI, you coolant, ya, she's a freezen.

flush it. and go with 50/50