Extreme cold - engine seized?

[Kossco]

Hey gang, my vans been running great lately so I havent been here in a long time. I think I already know the bad news here but always like to hear from this community first so here it goes.

Stock type 4 in a Vanagon westfalia. Rebuilt 2 years ago and is daily driver with 600,000kms (used a newer block and new heads on this last rebuild). Electronics are in perfect shape with most wiring replaced and great voltage.

Alberta Canada, been -40*Celsius for the last few days. I was in europe. I returned and temperatures have been warming up to a balmy -25*C. I had not changed over from 20W50 oil to my winter oil yet and thought, lets see if she'll start up to the point I can at least get the oil thin enough to drain.

Well, it started up no problem (i mean, considering, it took a few cranks but it turned over and started up just fine). The engine oil light was sstaying lit up longer after start than I like but it did start flickering so I thought great, oil is moving, let it flicker a bit. I turned it off to let the oil flow a bit and some of the heat start to soak into the block. I started the engine several times with this same method, flicker, turn off for a minute, start again.

It got to the point the oil light was staying off majority of the time with the occasional flicker. I increased the revs from idle by 100-200 and the light remained off. Let it go back down to idle and stepped out of the van to add some fuel to the tank. I was watching that oil light like a hawk. Sure enough, it flickered a few times and I sprinted around the van to get ready to kill it. In the mean time, the light stayed on solid and by time I got to the key, the engine seized. In disbelief that the a piston actually seized in under 60 seconds of run time with variable oil pressure, I tried the starter again. No movement. To the rear I remove the plastic fan cover and put my wrench on the crank bolt to see if I had movement. Wont budge.

Did I actually seize the engine at idle in frigid cold temperatures?? Would this be a case of piston expansion and cylinders staying too cold and they may shrink back down over night? Am I tearing this engine apart? Thoughts?

[Amskeptic]

Hey gang, my vans been running great lately so I havent been here in a long time. I think I already know the bad news here but always like to hear from this community first so here it goes.

Stock type 4 in a Vanagon westfalia.-25*C. I had not changed over from 20W50 oil
started up no problem
The engine oil light was staying lit up longer after start than I like

but it did start flickering so I thought great, oil is moving,

the light stayed on solid and by time I got to the key, the engine seized.
Wont budge.

Did I actually seize the engine at idle in frigid cold temperatures?? Would this be a case of piston expansion and cylinders staying too cold and they may shrink back down over night? Am I tearing this engine apart? Thoughts?

Wow. This is all very weird. I will start by saying that cold engine oil is extremely less likely to ever turn on the oil warning light. If you had any flickering at all with a cold engine, you were and are already in deep trouble.
I think you will be tearing down the engine.
Colin

[Kossco]

Thats what I suspected Id hear. Would you think its a bottom end tear down?

[Amskeptic]

Thats what I suspected Id hear. Would you think its a bottom end tear down?

I hate to speculate, the internet is full of armchair speculators.
That said, yes.
Colin

[Kossco]

Guess what?! It was hydrolocked! Sigh of releif. Big puddle of gas sitting on top of third cylinder. Cranked over no problem with spark plugs removed.