HELP! Installing freeze plug in rearmost part of motor?

[AndyMan]

Long story short. I need to install a freeze plug in the rear of the motor (The one that was there evidently fell out). 12 O'clock straight up from the bellhousing about 3 inches. Has anyone attempted such without pulling the transmission? I JUST put a clutch in two weeks ago, and REALLY don't want to pull the transmission again.



You can't actually SEE the hole, but there's plenty of room for my hand to move around back there. Although there is plenty of room for a hand, there is not enough room to swing a hammer. I think I can clean and prep the hole sufficently if I can just figure out how to hammer the new plug in.



Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions, etc?



Thanks a million,

Andy

 

[Bob4x4]

Snap-on makes the tool you need,it has a swivel at the driver end with an extension to get you back where you can get a swing at it.



Bob

 

[AndyMan]

Cool! Thank you. Whadda you reckon they call that doo-hickey?



EDIT: It could be this tool set?

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=1508&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[BigPapa]

Andy,



Are you sure it's gone? If it was, it would be DUMPING coolant out. They can be recessed pretty far in the hole.



I'd think you'd get better response on this in the "12V Engine & Transmission" forum.



Scott

 

[AndyMan]

It's GONE brother. I was on the interstate after dark when it popped out evidently. I guess that's why I didn't notice coolant when I stopped. The reason I know it's gone and not recessed is because it was a rubber puck sanwiched between two metal plates with a bolt through the middle. Tighten it up to hold kind of thing... Not sure why the guy did it... . When we put the clutch in, I remember seeing it and wondering why it was there. At the time, I figured: "it works, don't mess with it".

 

[Fred Swanson]

Bob4x4, have you used that for this purpose before?

 

[Bob4x4]

Not on a cummins,I don't do line work anymore Oo.



Bob

 

[jwilliams3]

Hmmm.....



You might try getting a "block heater" that uses a freeze plug hole as its base.

Those come with a simulated plug and retainer and seal.

If it has enough clearance from the rear cylinder, it would work great.



The block heaters are usually designed for one of the 3 side plugs that are of the same diameter of the rear plug.



What you could also do is have someone make a tool that utilizes a holes on the rear face of the block to drive in the plug it self.



You also might look into a pipe plug with a butterfly nut to hold you over for the time being.

 

[PSchwering]

If you go with the block heater method, you will at least have to cut the element off of it. The exhaust side plugs are all between Cylinders, which alows clearence for the heater. The rear plug hole is centered on the cylinder, so the outside of the cylinder is very close to the inside of the cup plug. P.

 

[emarsh]

what is the diameter of the plug? When my rear plug started leaking the dealer said they had to pull the head. I did it myself in about 2 hours, and tapped the head and used a brass screw in plug, much easier in limited room. However, the size was only 3/8 inch.

 

[tareynolds]

make sure that you have the freeze plug part number checked for superceeded part number, I know that many of the plugs we have installed at the dealership have been revised, they are slightly larger in diameter.

 

[Mundgyver]

Before you install the new freeze plug, put it into your freezerfor 3 to 4 hours. It will shrink down a touch and this will allow you to install it without having to beat it in.

 

[AndyMan]

I didn't manage to get the actual freeze plug installed, but i did get an "expandable" one in. I picked it up at NAPA. It has 2. 25 stamped on the top of it. Basically, it's a rubber puck with big metal washers on either side connected with a carriage bolt. It seems to be holding okay. HOWEVER... I cannot get the truck up to operating temperature. The thermostat was removed and boiled. It appears to be working fine. The waterpump was also removed and it checked out fine. I'm not sure what the deal is.



any thoughts?

 

[Bob4x4]

If the t stat is working ok,you may just have some trapped air. Drive it a few miles let it cool down then recheck the level.



Bob

 

[Skydiver]

Andy

just as a process of elimation "test the tester". Put a thermometer in the radiator after it has ran for 20 minutes. It might tell you if it is time for a temperature sending unit.

Tim

 

[AndyMan]

Well, here's the deal. I suspected both air in the line and the sending unit. To eliminate both of those as "problems", I did the following.



I have driven the truck for two 30 mile stints. Stopping frequently and checking the system. By checking, I mean I grabbed the upper radiator hose and felt it for heat and pressure. The hose would be warm to the touch, not hot, and would be stiff from pressure. I have loosened the cap and seen air bubbles come up in the overflow tank, which indicated to be their was air in the system. at that time, the hose would then become "flimsy". I'd drive another 10 miles or so, then receck. The hose would again be pressureized, but still not hot to the touch. ODDLY enough, the temperature of the coolant in both the radiator AND the overflow tank was "icy" cold. The strange part is that I'm getting heat in the cab. The ambient temp outside is about 32*F. It just doesnt' make sense. It's almost like I'm not driving enough to open the tstat... but the hose is getting "warm" and the system is building pressure.



One thing I haven't done is to run with the cap off and see if I can see coolant moving inside the radiator.



One other thing I've toyed with doing is to driving with the cap off.



In addition, I am also losing fluid at the petcock when the system is pressurized. At least I THINK it's the petcock. . drivers side, bottom corner of the radiator? I guess that's where it is? I lost about a half gallon overnight last night. Since it "bled" the pressure off overnight, the leak appears to have stopped.



??

 

[Skydiver]

Is there a chance your engine ran hot? How much is the most coolant you have added to the system at one time?

With your engine up to normal temperature and idling, if your getting air bubbles in the coolant recovery tank it is either a bad cap or head gasket. Don't even want to think about a cracked head.

Air (leaked compression) in the coolant jacket of the head will tend to block coolant flow and cause hot spots.

Tim

 

[AndyMan]

Ugh... yeah, the truck did run hot. Here's the history. The freeze plug fell out of the back of the motor for some reason (it was the same rubber puck kind that's in there now. ) while I was driving down the interstate one night. I just HAPPENED to look down and see the water temp gauge just starting to hit the red. I got the truck to a safe stopping point and shut it down. I let it cool to about 180 and then drove it till it got to the red zone again. Then I'd shut it down and repeat the process. This was until I got it back to work where I could get a lift home and return with the trailer. I soon discovered the missing plug. At the time I didn't notice a coolant leak because I was running 70MPH on the interstate. By the time I stopped, it had leaked out down below the freeze plug. I've since been trying to get the system filled, purged of air, circulating and getting temps up to normal operating ranges. I don't appear to still be losing any coolant (cept a little bit at the petcock. . but that is an easy fix. ). I just can't seem to get it to circulate nor can I get the temps up.



Hope it's not a cracked head.

 

[Mundgyver]

With that bit of info, I would be real curious about how much pressure your seeing in the cooling system. If you are bleeding into the block with cylinder pressure, you will never be able to fill it up.



You might want to pull the head and check the gasket at least for piece of mind.



Interesting, very interesting

 

[Skydiver]

Andyman

If it is a blown head gasket or cracked head the engine will suffer(heat up) more taking trips over 10 miles and while towing . Are you getting bubbles in the recovery tank?

.

When it first happened and you stopped to allow it to cool on the interstate how many minutes did you wait?

Tim