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

The 65 is my favorite 60's Impala year. Nice truck.

 

Well there's your problem right there!!

These are me laying in the ground under the passenger side of the front bumper, looking up at the underside of the motor.

I got under there last night and was SHOCKED to see that the right front freeze plug is totally gone...not there....big hole in the side of the block. Jeez! And looking at all that red staining under here it looks like it was leaking for a long time....it's a real mess!! Looks like it dripped on the steering linkages a long time, they have surface rust on them, and the rest of the underside is clean.

Looking inside that hole into the block, it sure is rusty in there too. I'm wondering how long it'll be before the other freeze plugs start leaking once I fix this one??

On the upside I can get at this area pretty easily to sand it smooth. Will be a bit of a trick getting the new plug in straight, as the only way to hammer will be with a long bar and a hammer at an angle.

We'll see. Planning to put the plug in, fill the radiator with water and flush, drain it, do it again until the water is clear, and then run 50/50 in it and see what happens.

I've never EVER had a freeze plug rust out on any car I've owned, and I've had some real turkeys, but never a Dodge.

Scary stuff!

-Mike

 

Yup, that would do it. (the leak)
But I don't know how they didn't know what the problem was to have caused all that rusting. Is Antifreeze really that caustic? Wow.

Well, you might need to unbolt the engine and raise it up some to get into the space. Got any mechanic friends with ideas or want to help?

 

The good part is most of that red is just stain from dirty coolant. It wipes off.

Found there is a special tool with a bent rod used for installing these in tight places. Hopefully Autozone has it in thier "loan a tool" program. Fingers are crossed!

-Mike

 

Ok this is funny, and curious. Jeremy, the guy that I got the Dodge from, just came by my desk and said "I thought you might want this, it's what fell out"





So yes it has surface rust on the inside of the plug, but it's minor, and the plug itself is solid as it can be. It's not weak, damaged, or badly rusted at all.

So it just "fell out"??? I wonder if he overheated it, or what?

He says he went out to start it to go to work on morning, heard a PING and all the sudden coolant was pouring out. He didn't bother to fix it, just left it. He said last night he looked on the street where the truck had been parked for over a year, and this plug was sitting there in the gutter....



-Mike

 

Look at the edge....see if it was all the way in from the factory.

 

Hmm...hard to tell, the edge where it would have been in the block is not rusty. It managed to stay in for 109,000 miles.

I'm honestly happy. I was worried all the other freeze plugs were rusted as well and about to fall out. This plug is solid, if the others are as solid, this most likely was just a fluke. It for sure did not fail from rust.

This may be a good vehicle after all!

-Mike

 

I would bet that it is.

 

I think this is what folks refer to as a LUCKY BRAKE!

So is the whole Ok, will this go back in or will you get a new one? Probably a new one.

 

No. It needs a new hole.

Cheapest place to get one is Auto Zone, I think.

 

A new whole???




Ohhhh????



I thought they sold those at the Donut shop, Timmies here, called Tim Bits?




How heavy is a bag of holes anyway? Think he'll need help picking them up...to bad his truck wasn't working!

 

No. NOT a new whole. A new HOLE. A whole new hole.

 

"I've got a hole in me pocket". - Ringo.

 

Give it to Mike. He needs one.

 

I'll be putting in a new brass freeze plug...as soon as I clean up the hole!

-Mike