I am looking at buying an 1991 toyota celica gt as a project car. the current owner used to use straight water instead of antifreeze. so the freeze plugs are starting to fail. due to rust from my understanding. can i just replace all of the freeze plugs and refill it with antifreeze and be good to go or not. is there other things that are probably going to fail and am i going to keep running into more problems.

 

You may end up running into more problems such as water pump, radiator, heater core, etc. At the very least, you know all the freeze plugs need replaced. Most engines have freeze plugs on the back of the block, so you will have to remove either the engine or trans to get those ones changed.

If you decide you can't live without it, at least drain and flush the cooling system and observe how much rust there is in the system before agreeing to buy it.

 

Straight water boils at a much lower temperature than 50/50. When it boils, it makes bubbles, and that can cause cavitation and rust. So parts of the cooling system could be damaged. Better make sure the headgasket is good or the head isnt warped.

And if they used straight tap water, the heater core and radiator probably are plugged with sediment.

 

Thanks for all of the great advice. I think I will continue looking for a better project car.