I have a leaking freeze plug behind the motor mount on the passengers side of my 5vz-fe engine (96 toyota tacoma). I would like to replace it with a brass plug but will settle for a expandable one in the mean time (until the time comes when I pull engine).

I am going to have to pull the motor mount to get to it, and that will necessitate jacking up the motor to support the weight. I believe I can do this by putting a 2x4 on the bottom of the oil pan and jacking up under the 2x4 with my bottle jack. I just want to be sure that is ok as my oil pan is not entirely flat across the bottom but seems to be formed in a "roundish" fashion.

Additionally the freeze plug housing is pretty corroded where its been leaking for some time now. I wonder if the corrosion is extensive enough that a brass insert will not seal well and I might be stuck using an expandable one? Can anyone please advise as to what I should use to clean out around the housing to get the best fit possible? Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

I wouldn't worry about jacking on the oilpan with some wood. As for rhe freeze plug, you won't know til the old one's out. Start with steel wool.

 

Well, jacking up the engine went well, I was able to gradually jack it up after loosening the bolts on the motor mount until I could feel the release of tension on the motor mount. When I was able to wiggle it around, I knew it was ok to unbolt.

Got the new freeze plug in with some rtv, didn't think to put coolant in and check it for leaks until after it was all put together. What did I find, my new steel freeze plug weeping away. I was pretty pissed.

I managed to punch the old one into the block and had to fold it in half (like a beer bottle cap squeezed between your fingers as a demonstration of strength). I did this by using a pair of needle nose vice grips and bent the top down, then grabbed the bottom and bent it up. This way I was able to get it out of the block without scoring the housing, but maybe I still messed it up. I've heat cycled the engine a couple times now and I have enough black flakes floating around in my coolant everytime it drains that I'm hoping it will seal up on its own.

The old one was rusted through, but I was happy to see the housing had very little corrosion on it. That generally means the other freeze plugs aren't far behind. Guess i'll keep an eye on my install until I can pull the engine and replace them all.

Thanks for the advise.