Freeze Plug a leaking!! - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

cckutchma · 08-20-2006, 06:26 PM

I have a freeze plug leaking front left 350 5.7 right by the frame and motor mount. Looked in Chiltons and basically found it for rebuilding an engine, however could not find repair for an everyday-type repair

I searched for a thred on it and coud not find one.....Any help would be highly regarded. Mucho Thanks

EyeH8the24 · 08-20-2006, 06:32 PM

they make rubber plugs to fix this ...all parts stores have them ..but if its possible i would replace it with the correct metal one...i have seen cars run for years on the rubber ones...

cckutchma · 08-20-2006, 09:03 PM

I bought a kit from Oreilly's today with every imaginable plug there is however do you have a reference how-to article? Do I have to jack the engine up or completely out of the vehicle and if one goes bad will they all go bad and all of that type of info thanks for your imput

krazymonkeys24 · 09-13-2006, 05:56 PM

You don't really need to replace them unless they go bad, but i always do on a rebuild. As far as replacing them is concerned, get a fairly stout flathead screwdriver and a hammer and punch a hole in the middle of it and pry it out. Don't worry if you drop it in the hole, it won't go very far at all, the cylinder walls aren't far in at all. Once you have it out, find the right size plug and drive it in with a socket. Put it in until it sits just inside the lip in the block. You shouldn't have to mess with anything more than maybe the power steering pump to get to it. Pretty simple job.

shadetree pro · 09-13-2006, 07:28 PM

i just did a plug on my buick, alot differant, but i bet some things are the same, i had the same problem, no info/how to on doing it in the engine well, that's for a good reason, this is a SOB of a job!! there is no other way to get these in and out without some solid pounding, which ussually can't be done in such short room. i'm not sure how much room you have, but i asume that's why your here. i had to use an exhaustive pry/drill method to remove my old one, and than had to go get the rubber kind of plug, the kind that tightens with a socket, and expands to fit the hole. these are not universal, so make sure to get the right size, it has to fit tight. i had no problems with mine once installed, but i did a HG job 3 weeks later, and had them all done with the head re-surfacing( $10 for all four, inc. labor, i almost cried, it was so hard to do the one, took me 2 hours!!), so i didn't give it much time to fail.
are your sure it's not time to pull the block for some other reason, it's almost worth it. if not, good luck, you'll probably need it!!

krazymonkeys24 · 09-13-2006, 11:13 PM

In these trucks, you have massive amounts of room to get to the front ones. it's the back ones you gotta watch out for. Almost no way to do it without pulling the engine. However, i could defintely see where a buick would be a mother b#$%^

08-20-2006, 06:26 PM	#1
cckutchma Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Springfield, IL Posts: 36	Freeze Plug a leaking!! I have a freeze plug leaking front left 350 5.7 right by the frame and motor mount. Looked in Chiltons and basically found it for rebuilding an engine, however could not find repair for an everyday-type repair I searched for a thred on it and coud not find one.....Any help would be highly regarded. Mucho Thanks

08-20-2006, 06:32 PM	#2
EyeH8the24 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: beulah,alabama Posts: 1,075	Re: Freeze Plug a leaking!! they make rubber plugs to fix this ...all parts stores have them ..but if its possible i would replace it with the correct metal one...i have seen cars run for years on the rubber ones...

08-20-2006, 09:03 PM	#3
cckutchma Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Springfield, IL Posts: 36	Re: Freeze Plug a leaking!! I bought a kit from Oreilly's today with every imaginable plug there is however do you have a reference how-to article? Do I have to jack the engine up or completely out of the vehicle and if one goes bad will they all go bad and all of that type of info thanks for your imput

09-13-2006, 05:56 PM	#4
krazymonkeys24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kannapolis, North Carolina Posts: 23	Re: Freeze Plug a leaking!! You don't really need to replace them unless they go bad, but i always do on a rebuild. As far as replacing them is concerned, get a fairly stout flathead screwdriver and a hammer and punch a hole in the middle of it and pry it out. Don't worry if you drop it in the hole, it won't go very far at all, the cylinder walls aren't far in at all. Once you have it out, find the right size plug and drive it in with a socket. Put it in until it sits just inside the lip in the block. You shouldn't have to mess with anything more than maybe the power steering pump to get to it. Pretty simple job. __________________ Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. Last edited by krazymonkeys24; 09-13-2006 at 05:57 PM.

09-13-2006, 07:28 PM	#5
shadetree pro Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: ftw tx Posts: 13	Re: Freeze Plug a leaking!! i just did a plug on my buick, alot differant, but i bet some things are the same, i had the same problem, no info/how to on doing it in the engine well, that's for a good reason, this is a SOB of a job!! there is no other way to get these in and out without some solid pounding, which ussually can't be done in such short room. i'm not sure how much room you have, but i asume that's why your here. i had to use an exhaustive pry/drill method to remove my old one, and than had to go get the rubber kind of plug, the kind that tightens with a socket, and expands to fit the hole. these are not universal, so make sure to get the right size, it has to fit tight. i had no problems with mine once installed, but i did a HG job 3 weeks later, and had them all done with the head re-surfacing( $10 for all four, inc. labor, i almost cried, it was so hard to do the one, took me 2 hours!!), so i didn't give it much time to fail. are your sure it's not time to pull the block for some other reason, it's almost worth it. if not, good luck, you'll probably need it!! __________________ The man who thinks he can, and the man who thinks he can't, are both right.

09-13-2006, 11:13 PM	#6
krazymonkeys24 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kannapolis, North Carolina Posts: 23	Re: Freeze Plug a leaking!! In these trucks, you have massive amounts of room to get to the front ones. it's the back ones you gotta watch out for. Almost no way to do it without pulling the engine. However, i could defintely see where a buick would be a mother b#$%^ __________________ Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.



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