knuckle head on Car Talk

All you Click and Clack listeners, did you hear last weeks Car Talk? This lady calls in to Tom and Ray because her husbands 06 mini was frozen to the street. They parked it in slush and went away on vacation. So, they can't get the car to move. They are engineer types and are talking about heat guns, pick-axes and stuff like that. Then Tom and Ray tell them to get a tow truck to lift the car while they remove the lugs and start pouring boiling water and on and on.
Am I a moron? Why not go buy a bag of road salt, pour it around the two stuck wheels and wait over night?
By the way, when one of them asked the lady if the tire spins HE said "yeah, one of the back ones"

Maybe he just meant the rear tire is free to spin.

I'd just deflate then over inflate the tire, and that should crack it enough for the car to release.

I've had cars freeze to my driveway, but it is usually cured by the gas pedal.

shotgun

my truck and trailer were frozen to the ground this week. the torque of the 454 was more than enough to break it free.

therefore they need to big block swap the mini and it will all work out.

DrBoost wrote: Why not go buy a bag of road salt, pour it around the two stuck wheels and wait over night?

Road salt only works down to around 12 degrees F; depending on where they are it could have been colder than that.

Sawzall.

stuart in mn wrote:

DrBoost wrote: Why not go buy a bag of road salt, pour it around the two stuck wheels and wait over night?

Road salt only works down to around 12 degrees F; depending on where they are it could have been colder than that.

Boston, Christmas time. They were ok.

Put it in 1st, rev to 5000rpm, dump clutch.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f78/Ben_Lude/Civic/DSC01533.jpg

Repeat until this happens: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f78/Ben_Lude/Civic/DSC01537.jpg

Wasn't a smart idea, but I needed the car out that day and didn't have anything to cut the ice. Had to return the next day with axes and jacks.

big pot of boiling water and a bag of road salt. the water first gets some melting happening and once you get that foothold it is fairly free to melt. (I cant remember freezing point for salt saturation though.... hmm)

It's called a long extension cord and a space heater, give it a few minutes on each tire, should break loose easy enough. It's funny even as a kid living in alaska I don't remember that being an issue.

Run_Away wrote: Put it in 1st, rev to 5000rpm, dump clutch. http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f78/Ben_Lude/Civic/DSC01533.jpg Repeat until this happens: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f78/Ben_Lude/Civic/DSC01537.jpg Wasn't a smart idea, but I needed the car out that day and didn't have anything to cut the ice. Had to return the next day with axes and jacks.

Ouch Ice 1, Knucklehead 0. I hate it when that happens!

Would it be a bad idea to start the engine and let the ambient heat melt the ice around the front tires while it idled in neutral?

MitchellC wrote: Would it be a bad idea to start the engine and let the ambient heat melt the ice around the front tires while it idled in neutral?

I don't think that would be enough, would it?

I mean, how hard can it be?

I just heard the repeat of this show. The scenario was: back wheels stuck in ice, front wheels spin when they try to drive out. I also wondered about salt.

To quote Bugs Bunny... "What a bunch of maroons"

flame thrower....

theres a reason i dont live in the cold, cold north anymore.. my car freezing to the driveway wasn't one of them, but it is now...

Plus eleventy billion. ^^^

I've unmounted both drive tires trying to drive out of ice.

EDIT: I suppose it the rims had enough traction that would have counted as "out".

There is only one solution:

Try to make it look like an accident.

924guy wrote: flame thrower....

Home depot sells the propane one that's used for roofing, seems like it would be a viable solution.

Datsun1500 wrote: ^ does not solve the problem, still won't roll

Nonsense. Ice was the problem. Ice is no longer the problem. (grin)

alex wrote: I just heard the repeat of this show. The scenario was: back wheels stuck in ice, front wheels spin when they try to drive out. I also wondered about salt.

No, they said two wheels on the same side of the car.