Frost Plug Heater Installation Question

[CATMAN]

I agree with the other post, that you will have to remove it totally and use emery paper to smooth out the bore of the frost plug hole. You should also smooth out the chamfer (tapered edge) going into the bore. It needs to be as smooth as a baby's butt or it will cut/slice a piece of that o-ring off (leaving a flat spot that won't seal). I believe that this may have already happened. Take a really good look at that o-ring if you plan to reuse it. One more thing; if your block heater has the wingnut style that goes inside the block and an allen-head machine screw to tighten it up, then see if there is another smaller wingnut piece of metal that fits inside the bigger wingnut. "Kimshot" block heaters use this style and I know from experience that the "two piece wingnut style" must be inside one another or they can blow out when hot and under pressure from the cooling system. Also, If the big wingnut is bent(concave) you need to straighten it before reinstallation. I hope this helps and I haven't confused you too much.

 

[whitetiger]

Your best bet is to remove the block heater, but a wire brush in your drill and clean the bore and chamfered edgeof all rust and paint. Replace your o-ring, lub it with liquid soap and reinstall into block. Make sure you index the heat correctly so as not to have your heat element contacting the block and tighten the screw. There is no need to use any sealer and using it can cause a leak in the future. I have had to repair several over the years due to RTV being used on the o-ring and it kept the o-ring from contacting the block.

If there's no harm in using the blue sealant, I might just loosen it up and put the sealant just inside the lip of the block heater. If I don't have to completely remove it, I don't want to.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I've done it all. Still leaks.

I took the block heater out and polished the inside with to different grits of emery paper. Reinstalled it...still leaks.

Took it back out and re-cleaned the hole. Used RTV (blue auto gasket maker), and left it overnight. still leaks.

Took it back out and re-cleaned the hole with a rag and removed all the RTV. Re-bent the braces straight and put new RTV. Reinstalled it...Still leaks.

I've got to just leave it alone for a few days and go at it again. This is getting past the fun stage.

 

[Ford960]

Can you see exactly where the leak is? Is it possible that the heater itself is leaking and not the area that you are trying to seal?
I can't imagine that as many times as you have installed it that it would still leak.

A couple of years ago I tried to fix a leak under the sink, I tightened, I took it apart, put it back together, and it still leaked. Took it apart and put it back together several times and it still leaked. Finally after a day of pulling my hair out I found a crack in the flange of the pipe that attached to the drain. All that time I wasted on the trap because the water was running down the back of the pipe.

Good luck.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Can you see exactly where the leak is? Is it possible that the heater itself is leaking and not the area that you are trying to seal?
I can't imagine that as many times as you have installed it that it would still leak.

It's hard to see what's leaking down in there. Things are so tight that I can hardly see the heater when everything is put back together. Thanks for the tip, though. I hadn't thought of that. There could be some kind of leak out the tightening screw or something like that.

What I'm doing is definately not working, though. I need to do something different.

 

[Ford960]

I think that the answer is in your sig.

If that's the starter in the way then remove it so that you can get a good look.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...If that's the starter in the way then remove it so that you can get a good look.

If I shut her down and take the starter out (done it three times now) everything back there is all damp and I still can't tell where the leak is coming from.

I think I've got it now, though.

Last night I tore into it again. This time the double wing nut mechanism bound up as I was taking it out. That made it tough to get out, but in the end it was a good thing since I got a look at what had been happening.

It appears that the first three times I re-installed the heater I didn't get the wing nut mechanism all lined up right and when I tightened her back down, the inside wing nut got out of alignment with the outside wing nut. The result was that the outside wing nut never really cinched up tight against the wall of the engine block.

I've already polished the inside surface of the frost plug hole, but I wiped it down real good with a rag last night to make sure there was no grit stuck in there. I put a new O-ring on, put blue RTV between outside of the block and the lip of the block heater (not on the O-ring itself), and I put RTV around the place where the bolt passes through the heater. I re-bent the double wing nut mechanism to look like it does when it first came out of the package. When I got it all tightened down this time it really felt solid. I decided to let it sit for a day for the sealant to cure before re-filling the radiator.

Tonight I'll give it a go and post back whether it worked or not.

 

[Doc_Bob]

Tonight I'll give it a go and post back whether it worked or not.

I have my fingers crossed!
Bob

 

[PineRidge]

I have my fingers crossed!
Bob

Fingers? I have my toes crossed.

 

[johnk]

It will all work out in the end. Probably wasn't centered as you were tightening. Everyone always thinks it's the worst scenario but it is usually something simple. {hopefully} Good luck...