okay, as mentioned in another post, another freeze plug rusted out, leaving my truck motionless.

i plan on replacing the entire motor since i'm sick of it nickel and diming me to death on a worn out motor. but, since i can see the faulty plug, does that mean that i should be able to replace it without having to pull out the motor? (that way i can at least drive it for a little while longer).

what is the proper way to replace a freeze plug?

thanks, nissanjon

 

Nissanjon,

If you are going to change one you should change the others. I was told if one had rusted the others aren't far behind. I had my freeze plugs replaced on a "72" 302. The mechanic did not have to pull the motor. Also on my 300/i6, I had to replace my exhaust manifold and noticed my freeze plugs were leaking and replaced them. Of course I was spending money at the time and had them replaced. How many miles is on your motor?

Steve

 

i have heard the same thing about rusty plugs. jeez i really don't know how many miles the motor has. it has at least 130,000, but who knows--the odometer only goes up to 99999, so i really have no idea how many times it has flipped that number before i got the truck...

so how do you replace a plug?

 

Nissanjon
How I change a freeze plug is I get a punch,chisel or screwdriver etc.Take an put it on the edge of the plug and hammer it till Get the plug to come loose usually it turns the plug sideways and you can get a pair of plires and pull it out.Be careful not to damage to sidewall of the block.Also you can use an air chisel this makes the job go real fast but you must be extra careful.
Use brass plugs when you replace it, they last longer.I allways put some gasket adhesive or permatex around the edges to prevent it from leaking.Take a socket that will seat the edge of the plug or somthing flat and tap the new one in.
Hopefully its one you can get to without taking everything apart.
Good luck.

 

i just wanted to find out first how the plugs were "plugged" in. i have heard that some are stamped in, like you say, and i have heard that others are threaded, and they screw in. thanks.

 

well it turns out that the freeze plug didn't rust out, but in fact it completely disappeared! i wonder why it popped off...

anyway i bought a set of brass plugs (i even bought a creeper finally. i tried to bang it in with a hammer, but there's just no room for me to give it a good smack. the plug is on the passenger side, and just in front of where the tranny meets the engine. there's this little cylinder-shaped thing coming out of the front of the tranny (about the size and shape of the oil filter, but bigger) and that's what's really in the way of the hammer (it's right by the O2 sensor (at least i'm pretty sure it's the O2 sensor) if that helps.). i'm really not interested in removing that thing my self. is there a way around this?

also, my uncle was telling me something about an expansion plug, that you put in the hole, and then screw it tight, and as it gets tighter, it expands, and stays nice and snug in the hole. is that another option for me, or are those temporary plugs, or can you even use those on ford engines?

well i hope i didn't confuse anyone, but i also hope i can get some feedback. thanks.