Well tuning is on hold for a little bit.

When i put my engine back together i noticed that the front passenger freeze plug leaked ever so slightly. I noticed it after i basically put the motor back together. I though id just change them out this spring when its not so hard to keep the garage warm.

Well today i went out to do a cold start on the car. And yup the freeze plug is worse now. When i squeeze the radiator hose green shi* shoots out like a squirt gun..... So i suppose i need to fix that pronto. Those steal factory ones are garbage anyways, why couldnt they have been copper? Oh well, since those plugs are cheep im gonna try to replace the ones in the front of the motor and the sides since i can manage to replace them without taking too much off. Ill take my chances on the rear ones since they dont leak as of now(those would not be fun to change)

Why did they even use those plugs in out cars? I find it hard to believe that they would pop out to let ice expand.

 

Anyone know the size of the plugs?? I cant seem to find out on the net which ones are the correct size.

 

about 34.3 mm right>?

 

Forget this thread. i got the freeze plugs out. not all of them but the other ones dont leak for now. What a PITA!! They just better not leak after i let the RTV dry for a bit! Or ill be really depressed.

 

i have never seen a thread go without someone popping in to help. wow

 

Might want to check your engine block for cracks... I haven't had a freeze plug problem in either engine in the 8 years I've had my car. I've lost hoses, the heater control valve, the radiator (and the drain plug at the bottom of it), but never a freeze plug.

 

The block looks good, really when i got that plug out it was basically rusted through. the only reason it wasent leaking so bad before is becasue of all the crap in there that was stopping th coolent from going through the rust holes...Ill look it over again though just to make sure, better safe then sorry.

Seemed like after i took those heads off and ported them and put that cam in there, that i cleared out all the crud out or the coolent that was probly clogging up the corroded freeze plugs that should have been replaced years ago.

 

Yep... The engine work probably dislodged some of the crud or the rusted portion of the freeze plug, which caused it to leak, obviously. Probably another good reason why the outside of my engine was covered in oil (it's not anymore).

 

The Welch plugs are used due to the way casting works. You'll likely find that the inner sand core(coolant passages), would have been supported from the outer sand cast through the Welch plug holes.

They have been mis-named as "freeze plugs" for some reason many years ago.

 

That sounds about right. Well i just ran the car for like 15-20 minuets and no leak, i made sure to let the motor get really hot(190#), i got a 180# t-stat but have the fan manually on off.

I also data logged the idle when in closed loop...i think i finally got the idle VE under control!! Finally, im starting to hate excel!!!

I figured that the casting process had something to do with those "freeze plugs" They seemed basically useless at freeze plugs, way to thick and they dont go in or come out easy.

 

Well, if they went in/came out easily, the 16 PSI the coolant system develops would blow it right back out again...

 

Point taken....By it took alot more then that to push them in....and wow coming out.. that was a PITA for sure!

 

Tuning. Freeze plugs. Excel. Yada yada yada. Where are the videos?!?!?!?!? Isn't Ohio having a mild spell?

 

Not yet its like 20-25 outside..... Its gonna be warmer this week though twards like thursday, friday. Up to a whole 43 degrees!!! Heat! If i get some good datalogging mabey ill shot another vid.

Tuning has me ADDICTED!! Oh man im hooked on it...

 

holy crap its hard to keep up with all these threads you got going lol moar vids and get a shot of the stony ridge 420 sign if your on the 'pike out that way lol

 

sorry about all the threads....at least there long ones(most of them lotta info..

Ill get the shot of the sign if im over that far, no problem!

 

no need to be sorry, i was just busting your chops a little

 

I know.. i've been busy with the lil 3.1L

 

welcome to my world, when i first put my 3.1 together i blew out 3 diff freeze plugs on 3 diff ocaisions.

was my faukt though as when i did the machine work on the block i never replaced the original plugs as they all looked good

the worst one was the one behind the flexplate i had that one pop out 2 times.
first time my daughters mom drove the car down the track and left the ebrake on overheated the motor and it pushed it out.

the second time when i parked the car for winter i forgot to put antifreeze in the cooling system and it pushed it out and cracked the block in 2 places

 

wow that not good. I dont wana have those rear ones go out till next winter....i hope. I got plans next year!!! So while th motors out might as well replace all of those crappy old ones.