1700 Freeze plug delimma, need opinion.

[jones6780]

I agree that grinding/beveling the area for clearance is doable and should not weaken the area to any great extent. Bevel is the key, to remove metal from the steel plate and the minimum amount from the cast bell housing, but achieve clearance to install the concave plug and be able to dimple it correctly. You may want to search on proper technique for dimpling the plug.
And send us pictures of the results!

Russell

 

[Soundguy]

pretty good write up on instalation.

MG Cooling Tech -A Core Plug is not a Freeze Plug

soundguy

 

[Texas Blues]

If your not going to split the tractor like it should be done, then I would go the stop leak route before I would grind on anything. Hopefully the stopleak wont adversely effect your radiator. If the plug is not rotted around the edges, it might work and last awhile. If it is rotted, its only a matter of time before the tractor will have to be split. Good Luck! TB

 

[Soundguy]

pay me now or pay me later.

soundguy

 

[JC-jetro]

pay me now or pay me later.

soundguy

Things are not alway black and white. Your argument is perfectly accurate if "later" would need additional more work over and above original problem. just giving "stop leak" a try cost not much in total effort or money. if it did not work, then so what!!... he'll go to plan "B" or real fix. A catastrophic failure leading to total water loss and consequent engine seizing should be a real remote possibility for most of us, so no additional work will be required if he were to do the real fix in 5 years from now, and that might end up being some one else's problem or may be can be done in conjunction with a clutch disk replacement, killing two birds with one stone.

JC,

 

[rayikeo2]

pay me now or pay me later.

soundguy

Soundguy, I fully agree with you. I know this problem is going to bite me in the butt (and wallet). However if I can't get the plug out without splitting the tractor then the plug is not going to blow itself out either. So stop leak might hold it for quite a while under these circumstances. The Japanise engineer that designed this one screwed up!

 

[Soundguy]

Things are not alway black and white. Your argument is perfectly accurate if "later" would need additional more work over and above original problem. just giving "stop leak" a try cost not much in total effort or money. if it did not work, then so what!!... he'll go to plan "B" or real fix. A catastrophic failure leading to total water loss and consequent engine seizing should be a real remote possibility for most of us, so no additional work will be required if he were to do the real fix in 5 years from now, and that might end up being some one else's problem or may be can be done in conjunction with a clutch disk replacement, killing two birds with one stone.

JC,

Here's my take.. drop in a few bucks worth of stop leak and hope it works.. and hope it don't fail 2 weeks later when I'm not paying attention and my water blows out onthe ground and my engine seizes.

like I said.. it's a dice roll.. with money involved.. and 2 outcomes... nothing more.. nothing less.

soundguy

 

[JC-jetro]

Here's my take.. drop in a few bucks worth of stop leak and hope it works.. and hope it don't fail 2 weeks later when I'm not paying attention and my water blows out onthe ground and my engine seizes.

like I said.. it's a dice roll.. with money involved.. and 2 outcomes... nothing more.. nothing less.

soundguy

I hear you, give me a 50/50 chance and a dice roll and I'll always end with the short stick

On hot water boilers (Scotch Marine with Fire tube) when the tubes develops a leak we normally re-tube the boiler, if the boiler is old and we may just lose fractional hp then we might just weld a plug/cap and abandon in place the leaky tube.

Do you see a chance of some weldment where the plug leaks?

JC,

 

[Soundguy]

IMHO.. I wouldn't try to weld up a core plug hole.. Way easier to just repalce the plug.

Not that I would do this.. but before I would weld the plug.. I'd braze or silver solder it.. onc ethe new plug was in place and all the paint removed.. mind you.. I wouldn't do it.. but I'd opt for that before a weld job.

I have seen people with old tractors that had cracked blocks that ran thru core plugged areas do that.. vcut the crack anfter drill-stopping it and tapping the drilled ends for plugs.. then replacing the core plugs, then brazing the cracks up including where they intersected the plug and the circumference... mind you.. that's a last ditch effort to sdave an old engine.. have seen a brass plate brazed on to the side of a farmall C engine that nearly the size of a sheet of paper.. seems a rod or two came out, and the block maintained structural integrety with a brass plate grafted to it... was an interesting site to see.. basically one half the engine being bright gold-yellow collored...

now.. if you were asking about the core plug socket.. if it had pitting.. etc.. IMHO.. a smear of rtv on the plug and socket would likely do it.. however.. if it was real pitted.. I might be tempted to braze or silver solver it up after a wire wheeling.. and then hone it back to spec with a brake hone... etc.

soundguy

 

[JC-jetro]

Chris,

Bunch of good information to learn. Thanks for sharing. We'll know what Ray will finally decides and the outcome.

Ray, Keep up posted with your progress.

JC,