coolant fluid leak on side of engine

tara · Post by **tara** » Mon Jul 01, 2019 9:04 pm

Hi all,

today is not the best, and arriving home, i noticed coolant leak on the side of the engine, is it bad ???

thanks

Tara

IMG_1942 by Simon Hiquily, sur Flickr

BCRAWLER · Post by **BCRAWLER** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 4:31 am

Loose frost plug?

Post by **Stuka** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:42 am

That would be a freeze plug, and its most likely started to get rusted through. They can be a pita to change while the engine is in the vehicle.

You typically have to cut them out. Then clear/sand the area well, and then tap in the new one.

toothofwar · Post by **toothofwar** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:55 am

I have used this style in a pinch before on the head of a ranger. It's not a permanent solution, but will get someone by.

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tgreese · Post by **tgreese** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:58 am

toothofwar wrote:I have used this style in a pinch before on the head of a ranger. It's not a permanent solution, but will get someone by.

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The rubber plugs work ok, and are a good solution if you can get to the leaking plug. I've used them; they held tight and lasted a couple of years at least.

Bad problem, you have to fix it. Could start leaking a lot more at any time. Drain the coolant, drive a bar or big screwdriver through the middle of the plug and lever it out. Clean up the hole and put in a new plug.

These plugs informally are called "freeze plugs" but their proper name is "core plug." They are actually there to remove the casting sand from the block casting (the casting "core") at manufacture time. That they pop out when the block freezes is only coincidental with their actual purpose. They will not protect the block from cracking in a hard freeze. The ones from the factory are steel, and will rust out if the engine is run with plain water instead of coolant.

mx71 · Post by **mx71** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 8:23 am

Could just be a bad freeze plug. I'd remove and repair properly, but this could mean that it's time for a rebuild. Worst case scenario, you've got a cracked block, but that would usually completely blow out the plug.

tara · Post by **tara** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 9:56 am

who knows the model or diameter of the freeze plug of my 327 ?

tgreese · Post by **tgreese** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:37 am

I would remove it and measure it. You could look it up in the parts manual and maybe the number will cross to something.

tara · Post by **tara** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 4:10 pm

parts catalog says 3 plugs of 1 1/5" and 5 plugs of 2", but now where can i bought them ?

toothofwar · Post by **toothofwar** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 4:19 pm

Local auto parts store should have them. If not Amazon or Ebay would be my next stop.

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tara · Post by **tara** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:07 pm

i bought those 2"

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Expansion-Free ... 2749.l2649

BCRAWLER · Post by **BCRAWLER** » Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:51 pm

Let us know how it goes. Have the same issue that I need to get to. Thanx.

tara · Post by **tara** » Wed Jul 03, 2019 5:23 pm

thanks all for your help,
one last question : what sealant would you use ?

tgreese · Post by **tgreese** » Wed Jul 03, 2019 5:26 pm

I use Permatex #1.

https://www.permatex.com/products/gaske ... 1-sealant/

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