piper184
Gold Member
Frost plug, freeze plug, soft plug, all the same thing. Some are a domed disk that you put in with the dome facing out, then strike the dome to flatten it somewhat causing it to seal against the wall of the hole. It seems to me that these have fallen out of favor the last few years. The other style is a cup shaped disk that you put in with the cup facing out. The outer walls of the cup are slightly tapered so it is larger at the open end. You drive these cups into the hole so that the open end faces out.
The style you have is the cup style. They are the easiest to install and get a good seal.
To remove either style, you drill a hole in the center large enough to insert a pry bar of some kind and lever it out of the hole. Some people use a slide hammer that uses a sheet metal type screw on the end. Drill a pilot hole, thread in the screw and then slide the hammer to tap it out.
Carefully clean the bore of the hole and use emery cloth to polish out any burrs. I believe that there are sealing compounds (like loc-tite) that can be used on the new plug to insure the seal.
If this were my project and I wasn't racing the clock for some reason, I would pull the radiator and remove the radiator support. You already have the fan and pump out of the way so you have a good start. Then pull the timing cover, internal parts and finally remove the timing case to gain access to the plug.
Then replace the plug and reverse all the steps. New gaskets and seals as you go. At this point I would probably replace all the hoses and thermostat, just because they are so much easier to do with all the other stuff out of the way. I would also try my best to flush the block and radiator at this time. Fill with water and test for leaks if all is well, drain and refill with the appropriate coolant mix.
This is a fair amount of work, but none of it is very complicated. Removing the old plug will probably be the most challenging part. You want to be really careful not to cause any scratches or other damage to the inside of the bore hole of the block. That would make it really hard to get a good seal with the new plug.
But as I said earlier, I would spend some time figuring out how to put some pressure into the coolant side of the block (5 to 10 psi) and make sure there was fluid above that plug. With pressure in the block you should be able to easily confirm that it is indeed the plug that is leaking. Clean and dry with an air hose first to make darned sure that is where the leak is before committing to all that work. The reason I say this is that in that location, the cup of the plug is acting as a small dam that could just be catching output from a leak elsewhere and allowing it to puddle up against the plug, making it look like the plug is leaking when all it is really doing it holding the fluid in place.
Best of luck. Take lots of pictures as you go and if you get stuck, don't be afraid to ask questions. That is why this forum exists.
The style you have is the cup style. They are the easiest to install and get a good seal.
To remove either style, you drill a hole in the center large enough to insert a pry bar of some kind and lever it out of the hole. Some people use a slide hammer that uses a sheet metal type screw on the end. Drill a pilot hole, thread in the screw and then slide the hammer to tap it out.
Carefully clean the bore of the hole and use emery cloth to polish out any burrs. I believe that there are sealing compounds (like loc-tite) that can be used on the new plug to insure the seal.
If this were my project and I wasn't racing the clock for some reason, I would pull the radiator and remove the radiator support. You already have the fan and pump out of the way so you have a good start. Then pull the timing cover, internal parts and finally remove the timing case to gain access to the plug.
Then replace the plug and reverse all the steps. New gaskets and seals as you go. At this point I would probably replace all the hoses and thermostat, just because they are so much easier to do with all the other stuff out of the way. I would also try my best to flush the block and radiator at this time. Fill with water and test for leaks if all is well, drain and refill with the appropriate coolant mix.
This is a fair amount of work, but none of it is very complicated. Removing the old plug will probably be the most challenging part. You want to be really careful not to cause any scratches or other damage to the inside of the bore hole of the block. That would make it really hard to get a good seal with the new plug.
But as I said earlier, I would spend some time figuring out how to put some pressure into the coolant side of the block (5 to 10 psi) and make sure there was fluid above that plug. With pressure in the block you should be able to easily confirm that it is indeed the plug that is leaking. Clean and dry with an air hose first to make darned sure that is where the leak is before committing to all that work. The reason I say this is that in that location, the cup of the plug is acting as a small dam that could just be catching output from a leak elsewhere and allowing it to puddle up against the plug, making it look like the plug is leaking when all it is really doing it holding the fluid in place.
Best of luck. Take lots of pictures as you go and if you get stuck, don't be afraid to ask questions. That is why this forum exists.
