well as some of you might know i have been rebuilding a 22re for about a week now and completely put it to gather and in the truck it went. Got everything hooked up was getting extremely excited cause the truck was about to be up and running again. I started to add anti freeze and all went well until about two minutes later water was all over the ground. Thinking maybe i didnt tighten a hose but nope not that easy. One of the damn freeze plugs was leeking.. AHHHHH Im so mad.. hopefully tomorrow i can pop it out and put a new one in. Any body got some good tips on doing this?

 

get a lot of beer and pack a lunch... ur gonna be there for awhile.

 

There is a tool you can buy to get them out, but I did mine with a straight blade screw driver, put it to the edge of one side and tap it until the plug turns, but be careful it doesn't go into the block cause then you are screwed. when it turns out a little get a pair of pliers and pull that sucker out!

 

maybe try some of that sealer when you put it back in, not sure what it is but its for freeze plugs, some people say you don't need it, but might be helpful here.

 

I heard about the screw driver trick but didnt know as to how many people actually have used a screw driver to get them out.

 

X2 on just working it out screw driver pliers ect. after i rebuilt my 22re it did the same exact thing 4 times. it would randomly pop out when i was going down the road the same one the closest cylinder to the firewall would pop out i ended up using a different type of freeze plug its rubber and has a washer on both sides and a bolt that goes through it you put it in then tighten the bolt and the rubber expands to the hole size i only used that one cause i lived in Florida and have no worries about anything freezing! but good luck make sure you pay attention when you get her running again for the first little while i almost over heated mine!! good luck

 

I just saw those online today.. The expansion plugs that you talk about .. where did you pick yours up at?

 

i had a local mechanic shop order them for me i just told them make and model they doo the search and stuff for you...

 

If I would have been thinking when I did mine I would have thrown a block heater in there, but living in california you don't really have to worry about that!

 

I suggest using a long 1/4" drive socket extension rather than a screwdriver. Less chance of it knocking its way through the freeze plug. Hit it at an angle toward the side of the freeze plug so it'll turn it rather than knock it into the block. You won't be there all day. I had a leaking freeze plug under an engine mount. Setting up the hoist and getting the mount off so I could get to the freeze plug was the longest part of the job. I found a little nick in the block where it was leaking, so I put a light smear of RTV around the new plug before I put it in. No leakie. Good luck.

 

Best way to remove them is to drill a hole in the middle and use a slide hammer...

 

Get it out however you want, to reinstall..
first: clean the hole to ensure shiny metal.
second: apply some sealant, a thin skim, to a new plug
third:tap it in squarely.
fourth: stake around the edge of plug with a sharp center punch.

this has some good tips as well:
http://www.circletrack.com/enginetec...ugs/index.html

 

Maybe when it's on a stand, but that sounds like a PITA with the engine in the truck. You're not worried about getting metal in the coolant passage drilling a hole in it?

 

ok well i replaced the freeze plug with a expansion plug due to i am in California and am not worried about freezing conditions. But now im leaking coolant from where the lower part of the intake meets up with the head. All bolts are torqued down right and i even resurfaced both the head side and intake side with new gasket and still a damn leak. Anybody ever experience this or have any insight to how i need to go about correcting the leak?

 

anybody?

 

Yep...that has happened to me probably 3-4 times or so. What I did...bought an OEM intake gasket and used gasket sealer around the thermostat port and tightened it and waited. Hopefully this helps you out! Your going to have to take the intake off...sorry!

 

thats what i feared but o well.. I have tomorrow off so that is what im going to do.. Thanks for the reply

 

Before you pull everything apart, try to see if the leak is from the 3/4" metal tube that comes around the back of the block and attaches to the bottom of the intake manifold near the middle. Do you remember putting the O ring on that pipe before bolting it down?

 

Well that pipe is one of the leaks i have..lol.. I put a gasket on that pipe not a o ring. And the intake is for sure leaking

 

well i just got back from kragen with new gaskets. I hope this time everything will hold. Does anybody have any insight on to how i should do put them on this time so that there wont be any leaks? RTV?