Could you please push the Dodge in the garage....people might think it's mine!

Dang! Wish I would have known about the Mexinese connection! I have a hole stretcher and could have made those work!

 

They also use those to dredge out your famous cranberry boggs.

 

Actually I believe this may have been the beginning of his troubles. There may have been a chance that the round freeze plug in the square hole, over heated. It thawed an fell out of the hole.

 

Actually, looking at the pictures, I'd say it just worked out. The hole and the original plug looked to be in good shape. What amazes me are the people who just give up on a vehicle for some simple thing like the missing freeze plug.

 

if you guys would LOOK at the pic...the whole hole is ROUND...NOT square! There has never been any square holes manufactured to my knowledge!

 

Come on foxy get serious. You getting too serious now! But your statement about not making square holes is wrong. There are several square holes on many cars for those cage nuts and other things. I'm going to sleep on it!:confused:
Besides, most holes I dig or drill are egg shaped!

 

Geeze what a square...chill man!


I agree Cat, must be nice to be in a position when something like that happens you just walk away.

 

Yup....people amaze me sometimes. But I have seen people walk away from decent cars for the simplest of reasons.

 

Glad to see you back Cat! Hope you're doing ok and SEEING ok.

Just to update on the truck, started working on it at 5pm last night and finished at 11pm...ha!

Here's where we are. I jacked the truck up and put it on stands. Pulled the passenger front wheel off to see if I could access the plug through the wheel-well. Found a nice surprise, the rotors, brakes, and everything are brand new. Asked Jeremy, the guy I got it from, and he told me about two months before the freeze plug let go, he'd totally re-done the bearings, rotors, and front and rear brakes! Very cool!

Anyway I tried every way I could think of to get that plug in, but could not get the angle right...the motor mount was in the way. Called my father and he agreed to come over and help.

While I was waiting on him I drained the engine oil and filter...the oil in there was BLACK....I mean NASTY. I put in fresh Castrol GTX, and most likely change it again in about 1000 miles, hopfully once the old oil still in there mixes with the new. Replaced the air filter and PCV valve, both were also nasty. Pulled the trans dipstick and was surprised to see bright red fluid in there. Good deal.

Dad showed up and we tried extensions, tried getting at it through the wheel-well, from under the truck in front and behind the crossmember, and we just could not get a good angle on it.

Finally Dad has the idea to use a crow bar...the angled end. I layed under the truck and he put the bar through the wheel-well. The end of the bar hit the middle of the freeze plug at the perfect angle (!). I put a fender washer in the freeeze plug so we would not be hammering directly against the brass.

I gooped high-tack airline sealer around the hole and around the plug, then held the plug from under the truck while Dad whacked on the end of the crow bar with a hammer. It kept moving, not wanting to go in straight. We were both getting frustrated and then Dad gave it a good whack and amazingly it slid into the block. I held the end of the bar and moved it around the plug while Dad tapped on it and it slide the rest of the way in....amazing!!

Ran to Wal-Mart and bought two bottles of flush and a jug of coolant. Got home and added the flush and water to the radiator, ran the truck for 10 mins. Also dumped a can of Sea Foam in the gas tank to hopefully help the 17-month-old gas in there.

The truck runs very smooth amazingly, and with the water and flush in it, came up to around 230 on the temp gauge...a little warm, but did not overheat. I did turn the heater on...but got no heat...the hose going into the dash is hot...core may be plugged. However I looked all under the truck and did not see any leaks anywhere. Freeze plug worked!

Drained out the water/flush mix, and re-filled the radiator with a fully gallon of anti freeze followed by a gallon of water. Waited on the air to bubble and thermostat to open. When it started to gurgle out I topped it off and put the cap back on.

So now I had a running truck, and despite the fact that the tags are out I could not resisit taking it around the block. I put the passenger side wheel back on, took it off the stands, check all the lights, and backed out of the driveway. Took off with the windows down and heard and felt a whonk-whonk-whonk from the front end....what's that???

I drove slowly around the block, thinking something on the front end is SHOT, pulled back in the driveway and discovered that four of the five lug nuts on the driver's side wheel could be turned with my fingers! Yikes!

I grabbed a lug wrench and tightened ALL the nuts, front and then check the ones in the rear for good measure. Got back in the truck and went around the block again, and it was like a new truck! Glad the wheel didn't fall off on me!

The 360 has a ton of power and is smooth. Transmission shifts smooth, brakes work perfect and are strong, and it rides good, a little stiff but it is a TRUCK. All in all it drives super, such a deal!

BUT there is still an issue. By the time I got back from my second trip around the block, the temp was reading above 240 on the gauge. Something is still not right. Got out an the upper radiator hose is really hot, but the lower one is just warm. I'm thinking the thermostat is not opening all the way....or it could need a water pump, but I'm hoping it's just the thermostat.

Looked under the truck and still no leaks. After it cooled down I topped off the radiator and called it good for the night. I really wanted to de-grease under the hood, but did not want to soak the engine so soon after doing the freeze plug. Want the sealant to be hard before covering it all with Engine Brite.

Will grab a thermostat today. Goofy Dodges, the uppder hose snakes down between the alternator and the a/c compressor, and the air filter housing is above it. Will have to look at it in the daylight and see what all has to be moved to get at the thermostat housing.

But again, it's running and driving now. Progress!

-Mike

 

Very cool....progress on this one anyway,lol! Could one of the radiator hoses be so bad its collapsing while you drive? You can try unhooking heater 2 core hoses and flushing core with garden hose?

 

I believe you also discovered why the freeze plug popped out ! Engine got too hot! Hope it's the thermostat or the hoses collapsing. I'll give you scrap price and come and get it the way it sits.
Keep checking those lug nuts. Hopefully they were never tightened all the way after the brake work. Son had that keep happening on his El Camino for some reason and ended up changing the studs.
Checks in the mail for scrap price.

 

Water pump is leaking now. Just checked the fluid level at lunch, and drip-drip-drip. Hahaha. Will price a water pump and thermostat.
This repair should only take me 12 hours, right?

 

I have a very reliable way of estimating time needed for a repair. Take my original estimate then double it,lol!

 

Two weeks from now with skinned knuckles and sore back that scrap price offer is gonna look mighty good! Please don't scratch my truck fenders while playing under the hood.
I was told those water pumps only last 60,000 miles or so. That's all I got on my last Dodges. Sadly my Hemi truck has just over 60,000 and I'm afraid to check under the hood.

 

You are one busy man!