question on frost plugs...

[87_crown_vic]

i am thinking it is possible the rear frost plug on the cylinder head of Sandy might have corroded thru. what do you guys suggest as a way to pop old plug out and reinsert a new one? i dont want to remove the cylinder head. i am thinking of removing the wiper motor and stuff for clearance, but think i might have to lift engine some. any suggestions?

i wish a few of you GMNers were closer for possible help since this is frustrating me that Sandy is giving me issues. i want her to run again and hoe it is only a frost plug issue. for those that dont know, Sandy is car in my signature. she is a 1987 Grand Marquis with a 302(5.0)

[Pirate]

If you can get the old freeze plug pried out, a cheap (and somewhat reliable) replacement would be to get one of the rubber soft plugs that you tighten in place with a 1/2" wrench....you don't have room back there to properly pop in a brass plug with a hammer.

[87_crown_vic]

well... removed the upper plenum/intake and was able to feel back of the cylinder head. it is filthy and not clean by any means from leaking coolant like the river it made running down the transmission the way it cleaned it. i took my light and looked at bellhousing of transmission and it is coated in wet oil and coolant. i think it is the rear seal on the lower intake that popped now. i have never replaced the gaskets before on a lower intake. i do have the lower intake gaskets and just need to build up the courage to do the work. i dont think liquid courage would be beneficial in being my first time doing the work, but it would probably get me on the track to get out and get the work done.

i dont want to get rid of Sandy, so i will do what i can to revive her from bleeding out her alien blood. i like Sandy now more than i think i like my 2 door i have that i want to make like Tom's 2 door as a clone.

[mrltd]

check the coolant hoses that go to the EGR spacer for leakage. oil could be the intake gaskets, but can also be valve covers, PVC grommet, etc... Coolant can come from the intake gaskets or any of the coolant lines/fittings on the back

[Lincolnmania]

recah your hand back there......is it wet?.......i've done em without head removal, but never on a box, so i dunno mang

[87_crown_vic]

well... a lil FYI...

the EGR coolant lines are bypassed so the line goes from steel tube directly to the nipple on back of intake. the nipple i replaced with new parts and hose is new and not leaking. the valve cover gaskets were replaced when i originally bought the car over a year ago with perma dry gaskets and they are dry. the only thing i can think of is the lower intake popped. i ran the car for 10 minutes and let it heat up and smell of coolant and then ripped upper intake off. it is hotter around the backside of the lower intake and stuff runs down the bell housing of the transmission. the bell housing is wet looking from oil and coolant i am guessing on it also. i am gonna have to find somebody around here with a pressure tester and pressurize the system. when i pressurize the system i will be feeling the back of the intake to see if that is where it is leaking from.

[gadget73]

Lower intake is no big deal. Just change the oil before starting the engine unless you want to replace the motor. Don't ask me how I know this.

[Tiggie]

The lower intake gasket R&R is pretty simple with the fel-pro gaskets that fall right in place. Just make sure your mating surfaces are super clean. And label the hoses so you don't end up putting a vacuum hose on the EGR Cooler and a EGR cooler hose on the MAP sensor (should be a problem if you've bypassed the EGR cooler).

The past two I've done I didn't change the oil, I just lined the lifter valley with layers of newspaper to keep crap from getting where it's not supposed to be, and Shop Vac'd it afterwards just to make sure.

[Lincolnmania]

dont got a mirror on a stick jim?

[87_crown_vic]

well... found the leak/sprayer...

while having the upper intake/plenum removed, i added some fluid to the radiator. a person i know has a home made pressure tester for the coolant system. i hooked it up in place of a heater hose and plugged end of my heater hose with a 3/8 drive extension. i added air to the system and sure enough, i found the leak super easy. it is the damn frost plug on rear of driver side cylinder head. looks like my work is gonna be a pain in the ass to try to get it fixed. a whole $5 part causing me hours of labor to fix.

the home made coolant tester consisted of a old heater hose with a heavy duty type tire air valve that mounts using a nut and rubber gasket mounted in it with a big bolt in other end of hose. all i had to do was remove a heater hose and connect that home made jobber to the car and block off the other end of the line in the car and presto... i had pressure in the coolant system to press out fluid in the system from the leaking area.

[Pirate]

well... found the leak/sprayer...

while having the upper intake/plenum removed, i added some fluid to the radiator. a person i know has a home made pressure tester for the coolant system. i hooked it up in place of a heater hose and plugged end of my heater hose with a 3/8 drive extension. i added air to the system and sure enough, i found the leak super easy. it is the damn frost plug on rear of driver side cylinder head. looks like my work is gonna be a pain in the ass to try to get it fixed. a whole $5 part causing me hours of labor to fix.

the home made coolant tester consisted of a old heater hose with a heavy duty type tire air valve that mounts using a nut and rubber gasket mounted in it with a big bolt in other end of hose. all i had to do was remove a heater hose and connect that home made jobber to the car and block off the other end of the line in the car and presto... i had pressure in the coolant system to press out fluid in the system from the leaking area.

"Thank you, thank you, no applause, just hand me tens and twenties!..."

[jelybean]

Larry stand inline for payment, I was the one who told him it could be the frost plug but what do i know i'm female..lol

[85crownHPP]

It can be done with the head on, I watched a guy I used to work with pop a freeze plug in the rear of the driver side head on a 90 vic.
He did it from underneath with a long extension and a swivel impact socket (using it like a punch)

[gadget73]

The past two I've done I didn't change the oil, I just lined the lifter valley with layers of newspaper to keep crap from getting where it's not supposed to be, and Shop Vac'd it afterwards just to make sure.

I believe mine failed from coolant getting in the oil, not dirt. I had rags and such in there to keep the dirt out. I never did drain the oil though so I don't know how much coolant got in there. The motor was already pretty abused, and had been run a long time without an oil change. Its possible that it was just extremely close to death anyhow, and just that last extra bit of abuse killed it. Either way, 50 miles after I replaced that gasket, the motor had zero oil pressure at cruise speeds and a nice rod knock.

[85crownHPP]

I was surprised at how much coolant came out after i did my lower intake...
I made sure it was all out - I cracked the plugs and let the green out, then would run it a little, then let it sit and crack them again, and a couple more times.
Then I 'changed' it all, after a nice ATF flush. (that was for the lifter noise)