Freeze plug kicked my but....

[ellisjay2]

I guess its time for all my pugs to be redone since i"ve already replaced two front ones....now on the way home today driver side rear cracked.....and it was pretty fun to get to. Taking it out wasnt so bad.....putting it back in....sucked.....Im probably going to get criticized for doing what I did, yes I put sealant around plug, yes i used heat torch to get old one out and new one in....being at such a difficult angle and aim, I couldnt get new pug as flush as its supposed to be by hitting it with socket as usual...it was cocked slightly..after hitting...and hitting...I went back to torch..heat block around plug to make swell, and went back to hitting got it to about the best I could.....so how bad does it look to you guys???? Havent tried it yet hope it holds...

[snaptoo]

Maybe it will or maybe not ,the peck marks around the flange don't look too good . I believe Dorman makes a plug with a expansion bolt in the center which makes the job much easier. Good luck

[ellisjay2]

Yeah thats what i probably will go back with depending on how this one holds up, learning in tight spots is where the rubber ones come in handy.

[JMac11]

Putting them on ice, maybe even dry ice might help too...... wear gloves if you mess with dry ice. For guides in aluminum heads we would heat the head up, cool the guide and push them in

[mongocanfly]

We always putem in a cup of ice...makes life easier.

[GRX]

Good to see you did not just punch the old one inside and leave it. Cannot remember how many blocks I have seen with an old crumpled freeze plug hiding in a water jacket. Hmmm ... what was the rattling sound when putting the block on the workbench

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

We always putem in a cup of ice...makes life easier.

Especially with brass since it has roughly twice the thermal expansion coefficient of steel.