So...I replaced the engine in my truck in September of 2007 with a rebuilt unit from Jasper Engines...

It's worked great, but today an issue appeared...I saw a puddle under my truck and then saw this:



It's a buildup of anti-freeze goo at the backmost freeze plug on the passenger side of the engine....and it started dripping today....but looks like it has been leaking and gooping for some time..

After calling the shop, they suggested I call the builder (Jasper) and see what the warranty covers and where to begin. They started talking about "electrolysis" and said something about a certain voltage in the radiator, etc...and it would not be covered if that was what it is....

For give my ignorance...but what the hell is he talking about....why would my radiator or anti-freeze be carrying a charge...and where did it come from if so?

Anyway....it's the only plug that shows this....and it's basically my nickle to have the plug pulled and replaced and then it can be analyzed....

Any tips? This is my first experience with such a thing....

(note: talked to the shop about this...they said something about antifreeze breakdown, but did not think that would have happened yet, as the solution isn't even halfway through it's expected useful-period...that is, the solution is stated to be good for 50,000 miles and I've got about 20,000 on the rebuilt engine....)

 

Common issue in incorrect mix or no mix solution. It is also common on steel freeze plugs.

All the crap in the engine falls to that level and rust works it self along the path of least resistance. The steel plug sacrificed it self.

It is a fairly easy fix with a drain down, flush and removal and replacement of the freeze plug with a new Brass plug.

Did you check the solution with a specific gravity tester or just guessing it is a good mix?

No one warranties the freeze plugs on reman engines as they are made as a protection or sacrifice device to save the block.

Garbz

 

Everything has some kind of electrical charge. You can get a reading on a voltmeter from an orange slice or a lemon.

Steel plugs are more vulnerable than brass, but this seems early for failure.

Do you have a ground strap from the engine to the chassis, tied into the battery? I may or may not have much to do with this, but having everything tied together can prevent other issues, maybe even this. (wag territory, but....)

 

After your flush, use grocery store distilled water when you refill. I recommend pouring one gallon of antifreeze and one gallon or water in and then even split the second gallon into the empty first bottle and add water. You should then have two gallons of 50/50 mix. It will take five gallons for a dry fill, but I less than four for a refill.

Keeping 50/50 mix on hand for adding when needed is a good thing.



John

 

So, I take it I should have replaced all the plugs with brass when I first got the engine?

Seems like an oversight for the rebuilder not to do that to begin with....lol....it's not like brass is pricey or anything!

Do I need to think about having them all swapped out now? Or is this location more prone to this sort of thing than the others?

 

They may not be pricey but......
I may be a slight conspiracy theorist but the way I see it is how major manufacturers look at it, be it vacuum cleaners, toys, vehicles:
If the less quality part will do its job and last for the designed lifespan and fit the timeframe of planned obsolescence and it costs a dollar less, then multiply this 1 million times and the company saves 1 million dollars.
oh and heres a cool article I found: (i notice u r from colorado)
Don't Fill Her Up with Antifreeze, Alaska Science Forum
and +1 on the distilled water. With just doing a little bit of googling 9/10 people say to not ever use tap water. The other 1/10 says antifreeze has corrosion protection that cancels out the minerals and junk thats in tap water. Not sure what the difference is in heat absorbtion and heat transfer, but when I was in electronics class in the Navy my instructor said you can take a radio and submerge it in 100% PURE distilled water and it will operate just fine. In that state it is not electrically conductive. But in time that water will absorb impurities and your radio is toast. There are also a couple of experiments on youtube demonstrating this.