blew a soft plug out of engine block

[MMeier]

How many miles on yours now Scott?

 

[SRadke]

48,500 miles. ~2500 since the twins.



-Scott

 

[TowPro]

A water pump can pump some PSI if there is a restriction in the system. That is why the dealer wants the truck cold, the thermostat is closed, this causing a restriction. Even when the thermostat is open, it is still causing some restriction. This restriction also slows down the fluid so it has a chance to circulate in all the nook and cranies within the engine. Remove the thermostat and you can get hot spots in the block.



Now on down stream side of the restriction you will have what ever PSI the rad cap is set at.

 

[jwilliams3]

Radke,

So what are your plans? install? etc?

 

[SRadke]

Radke,

So what are your plans? install? etc?

My plans? I'm gunna drop the transmission and drive a new plug in the hole with some silcone or Loctite, depending how tight it feels. I still haven't gotten the straight sheet from the dealer reguarding the TSB so I guess I'll have to go in there in person to find out about the oversized plug. I've spoken with two people whove had a similar problem and neither of them could get the oversized plug in the hole.



Oh, and FWIW Cummins has a national backorder on those plugs so to get one from them I'd have to have it shipped straight from the factory in Indiana Why not take an hour and stamp out a few thousand of them? Rediculous.



-Scott

 

[AndyMan]

WHOA DON'T DROP THAT transmission JUST YET!!!! I've got a $75 fix for you!!



Read my post in this thread:

http://www.tdr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143847



PO put a new short block in the truck I have now. He forgot to install that freeze plug, and rather than pull the transmission or motor to install a proper plug, he put in one of the expanding deals. Well, it fell out and stranded me a good ways away from home. I went thrugh about four of those before a fellow Mid-Tenn TDR member (acook - a Cummins mech) told me about this part I could use that could be found in the industrial applications of our motors.



If you'll feel around near the hole back there, you'll notice two small tapped holes. Apparently the industrial applications have an air compressor that's liquid cooled. There's a part that bolts on back there (gasket and everything) and has a 1/2"NPT hole in the back. I've got one on order from Cummins ($75 for the part, gasket, connecting bolts, and a 1/2"NPT cap plug). I can either plug it, or plumb in a pressure gauge



If nothing else, it's CERTAINLY worth a try b/f dropping the transmission. The part numbers may be different between my 12v and your CR. QuickServ would tell you for sure. I'll post part numbers at work tommorrow.



Hope that helps,

Andy

 

[jwilliams3]

Scott,

Blue loctite is what you should use.



I would raise hell with the dealer about it... .

Definitely go in there with the TSB.

 

[SRadke]

Well... ... I just bit the bullet and did the job. I did not see the two holes you're refferring to Andyman, I suspect they're on the side of the block, not the back. My dealer was unable to find the TSB as it "doesn't apply to your truck". Even with the number they say they can't do a search. Honestly, I don't know why I even waste my time with them anymore



The dealer set me up with a plug (after I gave them the Cumins part number) that was in a bag marked October 99. Seriously, this thing had the old red, white, and blue mopar label on it. It was the right size though so I drove it home with a generous coating of Locktite's high temp sleave compoud. It's the high end of their bearing race line, 3000 psi shear strength. Should hold no prob.



I'll put the water to it tomorrow and find out if the head gasket has issues as well, till then I'll leave you with a picture of the new plug installed where the old one had gone AWOL.



-Scott

 

[AndyMan]

I did not see the two holes you're refferring to Andyman, I suspect they're on the side of the block, not the back. -Scott

Yepper... that's the exact spot where I've lost four freeze plugs. I really hope that one stays in there for you.



I concurr, you don't have the tapped holes like I do. Must be a 12v thing. I'll go crawl back in my little hole in the 12v forums now...

 

[SRadke]

I concurr, you don't have the tapped holes like I do. Must be a 12v thing. I'll go crawl back in my little hole in the 12v forums now...

Now let's not go getting all extreme. Personally, I welcome the cross forum talk around here. Many of the newer gen guys have experience with older rigs and and many of the little tricks to the older rigs apply to the newer ones. For this application it didn't pan out but we don't know till we try right? The good news here is that with the frame design of the third gens pulling a transmission is cake, little more than an hour. Mine takes longer because I've got my lower control arms bolted to the cross member so I have to worry about the axle rolling out from under the truck but for a $3 part over $75 part I'll drop the transmission.



-Scott

 

[JStieger]

Scott-



When the plug let go, was it a pretty loud pop or just the water temp gauge getting higher?



Also, please post a P/N!



Thanks-

 

[AndyMan]

I had a 3rd gen for 2+ years, sold it a couple of months ago, so I kind of feel at home... but at the same time, can't verify stuff I'm posting here on my 3rd gen truck anymore.



Anyway. Taking the transmission out for me wasn't going to be a great option. I have another replacement freeze plug, but this other solution was going to work better for me.



JSteiger,

When I lost the freeze plug each time, I'd only know it b/c I'd either see the rear tire slinging up coolant, or the temp gauge would peg out.

 

[SRadke]

I didn't actually hear it go either. I heard it bouce off the inside of the frame rail and maybe something else back there... ... I saw a mist of water from a mostly dry road..... but I didn't hear it let go. The temp climbed up around 210 before I got home, about 3 miles, I never even stopped to see what it was. I was thinking head gasket at first, this is a way better option if the head gasket is still tight I'll have goten off easy.



Cummins part # 3900965

Mopar part # 4797725



The Mopar number is the one I used but my friends at the dealer couldn't find it so they had to cross it from the Cummins number.



-Scott

 

[jwilliams3]

Scott,

Sort of looks like a cloud coming from behind the truck doesnt it?

 

[SRadke]

Sort of but it was dark so all I could see was a fog around the tail lights and a mist under the intersection light I had just passed under. Hopefully I won't have to experience it in the daylight

 

[Blakers]

How common is this plug coming out?



Do we need to start passing around a jig to pin it in there?



I had a 12 valve 95 before too!!



Blake

 

[TSterner]

for those worried about it coming out you can do the following.



there are two bolt holes in the back of the block that are not used, or on some trucks there is a ground wire on one. take a piece of aluminum, to cross the plug, and put a slot in either end(ill get the dim. tom. ) use two m12 bolts to hold it in place. i used a one piece part with a boss on it to go into the plug hole. has an o ring to seal. no problems yet. if you plate the factory plug it cant come out either.



ted

 

[AndyMan]

Yeah, mine has those holes. Matter of fact, I'm supposed to be getting cover from Cummins tomorrow to put on there. But if you look at the pic of Scott's block, his truck doesn't have them. Maybe they stopped using that area to feed coolant external to the motor on the CR motors?

 

[TSterner]

they are there look a little above the centerline of the hole. one has a counter

bore (right side) the left is just a tapped hole.



ted

 

[sag2]

The dealer could not find the info because it was not a TSB or recall, but an RRT (kind of a fast fix on a limited number of vehicles). The RRT's are not saved on DealerConnect. I must have saved a copy when they sent it out and it has a photo of the installing tool. It also said the stock of Mopar plugs were being changed to the larger plugs, so there was no special part number listed.