Major coolant leak---- Please Help
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Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2003
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Originally Posted by MtlSphere
There you go! Of all the things it coulda been, turns out to be the easiest!
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again!
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again!
I don't know if it can be considered the easiest thing to fix. There's still not a lot of room in there to get this thing pressed in.
Large Impressive Member
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From: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
If you've rusted out a core plug (the correct name for a "freeze" plug) then your cooling system is in horrendous shape. After you replace it, do a thorough flush of your system, install new green antifreeze and a pt. of Pencool 3000, made by Penray. When installing your new plug, buy or borrow a tool which contacts ONLY the outer edge (lip) of the plug. Hitting it on the inside can distort it and cause looseness, leaks. Use High-Tack or Loctite to seal and retain it. Keep an eye on the other plugs as they are probably getting thin too. I would also guess that quite possibly your heater core and radiator have deteriorated to some extent due to chemical reactions within your system caused by contamination reacting with the various metals in the system. This is why we flush and change coolant every couple of years.
Instructor
Joined: May 2005
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From: Gaithersburg Maryland
That location is a particularly vulnerable spot for crud building up in a v-8 engine. It will lay in there behind that plug, and rot it right away. I had the exact same freeze plug go on my Mopar 360 just a few years after I rebuilt the engine. I replaced all the plugs I could access with marine plugs which are made of brass. The only one I could not get to with the engine in, was one that was behind the steering box. It was higher up on the motor, and probably ok. She has been fine since, which has been five years. You can press the plug in with a small machine jack if you can get a surface opposite the plug to press against. I think I used a different set up for each plug I changed. I was changing over to a 4 spd at the time, so I even changed the ones behind the flywheel. All of this with the engine in the car. The plug behind the starter was paper thin. It just crumbled under pressure with a screwdriver.
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Wow, paper thin! That's amazing it didn't fail. I wanted to say thanks to all those giving me advice and help with this. Now another question, and I hope I don't get the answer I think I'll get. Will I need to open the AC system or remove the compressor to remove the exaust manafold? If I take it to a shop that will recover my freon, sp?, will they charge me to recharge it later?
Le Mans Master
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From: Kempner Texas
Originally Posted by 89Corvette6spdFX3
Wow, paper thin! That's amazing it didn't fail. I wanted to say thanks to all those giving me advice and help with this. Now another question, and I hope I don't get the answer I think I'll get. Will I need to open the AC system or remove the compressor to remove the exaust manafold? If I take it to a shop that will recover my freon, sp?, will they charge me to recharge it later?
Jake
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Jake, I think I'm going to just remove the down pipes and pre cats, and the starter and get to the plug from underneath. I don't think i'll even need to remove the manafold by the looks of it. While I have the cats out, maybe i can do some "cleaning...."
cleaning of the underbody of course, what did you think i meant? clean out the cats? haha
cleaning of the underbody of course, what did you think i meant? clean out the cats? haha
Le Mans Master
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From: Kempner Texas
Originally Posted by 89Corvette6spdFX3
Jake, I think I'm going to just remove the down pipes and pre cats, and the starter and get to the plug from underneath. I don't think i'll even need to remove the manafold by the looks of it. While I have the cats out, maybe i can do some "cleaning...."
cleaning of the underbody of course, what did you think i meant? clean out the cats? haha
cleaning of the underbody of course, what did you think i meant? clean out the cats? haha
On the other side of the engine there's another one that runs from the alternator to the manifold/header tht'll have to removed.
You'll probably also have to remove the dash gauge temp sensor, the knock sensor, the aux fan switch (if your car has that option), spark plugs; disconnect the 02 sensor and maybe the ground wires if they're in the way.
All in all, not too hard a job.
Jake
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Thread Starter
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Actually I was only thinking of removing the y pipe. The pre cat is somewhat in my way of reaching the plug. I can't get any good size tools in there to get it out. I've drilled a hole and used a screwdriver to try and pry it out but it's not budging. Any ideas? I thought I'd try to drill more holes and colapse the old plug.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: seattle WA
You might want to pull the wheel well liner too, only about 6-8 tork screws, better light and may might even give you a clearer shot on install. As a side note Bronze plugs are available at marine shops. And they were originally called freeze plugs-with the idea in mind of sub zero temps surpassing anti freeze protection when the water in your block would freeze and expand these plugs were to pop out rather than cracking the block or heads.Hence-freeze plugs.
Last edited by rick lambert; May 17, 2005 at 10:15 AM.
Le Mans Master
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From: Kempner Texas
Originally Posted by 89Corvette6spdFX3
Thanks Rick, that's a good idea. Should I hit the edge of the plug with a screwdriver to try and knock it sideways? I can't get this dumb thing out!
Jake
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It's fixed!!! I washed it yesterday, took off the top and started cruising right away.
It was a tough booger to get out. I had a guy in my club come over with a slide hammer. He crawled under there and started hammering away. He even split his thumb in the process and bled all over, (he was laying on his mechanix gloves!) Anyway, with the hammer it took him over an hour of pounding and it still didn't come out. He told me this one was the toughest one he'd ever delt with! We finally got it out with an extra long cold chisel. We were so tired we decided to put in the temporary plug. Besides, if it goes bad, it'll be a lot easier to replace!
Thanks for all the help!
It was a tough booger to get out. I had a guy in my club come over with a slide hammer. He crawled under there and started hammering away. He even split his thumb in the process and bled all over, (he was laying on his mechanix gloves!) Anyway, with the hammer it took him over an hour of pounding and it still didn't come out. He told me this one was the toughest one he'd ever delt with! We finally got it out with an extra long cold chisel. We were so tired we decided to put in the temporary plug. Besides, if it goes bad, it'll be a lot easier to replace!
Thanks for all the help!
