1967 - 1972 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Bumpsides Ford Truck

freeze plugs??

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Old 09-22-2010, 04:18 PM
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freeze plugs??

i have a coolant leak and i think its my freeze plugs, anyone know where they are located and if its hard to replace them i have a 360
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 06:10 PM
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there on the lower side of the motor. not that hard to change just time consuming if the motor is still installed. just dont be scared when you pull that plug and there is junk in there. just clean it out the best you can and press the new on in.
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 06:53 PM
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The local parts store will try to sell you 1-3/4" plugs but they are really 1-49/64" Get brass, not steel. Clean the sealing surface of the block with scotch brite or crocus cloth and put a lap of Aviation Permatex on the sealing surface of the freeze plug to aid in installation and sealing.
Dorman brass freeze plug # 565-036
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 07:55 PM
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is it hard to pull out the tranny and flywheel to get to it?
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 08:19 PM
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You should not have to pull tranny, Plugs are usually located under the exhaust manifold on each side of the block. You may have to remove motor mount and jack motor up.
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 08:22 PM
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Originally Posted by hargrett
You should not have to pull tranny, Plugs are usually located under the exhaust manifold on each side of the block. You may have to remove motor mount and jack motor up.
^Yeah that^
There are no expansion plugs on the rear of the block on a 360.
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 09:01 PM
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well im not even 100% that its that. this morning i had coolant all over the drive way, and when i went to refill it, it just kept coming out where it kinda looked like where the tranny meets the motor, the other thing they said it could be a cracked block, witch i hope that isnt it.
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 09:06 PM
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Who's "they"? Likely not a cracked block. Have someone dump water in it while you lie underneath it. Could be a heater hose, intake gasket, freeze plug, etc.
 
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Old 09-22-2010, 09:44 PM
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is was a local shop here in town over the phone
 
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Old 09-23-2010, 07:02 AM
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I've never seen a cracked FE block in California. Usually to crack a block it has to be in extremely cold weather or driven to death with no coolant/water in it.
 
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Old 09-25-2010, 03:49 PM
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Had a freeze plug leaking on my '72 390. Bit the bullet, pulled the engine. Found a cracked flywheel so while I was changing ALL the freeze plugs, I changed the flywheel and the oil pump, water pump, oil pan gasket, fuel pump, and front trans seal. AND then found a cracked exhaust manifold so changed BOTH of them.

It's amazing how one little job turns into one not-so-little job.
 
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Old 09-25-2010, 04:27 PM
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well i was able to get a floor jack to lift it a bit, and found out that its the freeze plug right by the starter, so i was kinda happy about that. night be a little cheaper to replace now.
 
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Old 09-26-2010, 12:07 PM
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One thing to remember about leaking freeze plugs: Usually, the reason one leaks is because it's a steel plug and it has rusted out from the inside. That's usually caused by previous owners filling it with straight water or not enough anti-freeze. Aside from rust, freeze plugs are usually trouble free for the working life of the engine. Sometimes one will come loose or pop out for no apparent reason, but that's rare.

What this means is that if one plug is leaking from a pinhole from rusting through, then the other plugs are probably rusted too. That one just went through first. When you pull out the leaking one, if it's obvious that it has rusted through, then you might as well replace all the others at the same time. Or you'll be looking at water puddles again soon. Like Bobby said, if you're going to do the job, get brass plugs of the correct size.
 
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Old 09-26-2010, 03:32 PM
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the ones that are in there i think they are brass, and seem in pretty good shape, besides the one that poped out. the place is charging me 45 per plug plus labor, might just get all the sides one done.
 
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Old 09-26-2010, 07:35 PM
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Lucky, check your post. A full set of freeze plugs costs around $20. Did you mean $45 labor per plug plus parts?
 


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