anyone ever had this happen ? i pulled the engine after changing the rear main once already. Put dye in the oil, pulled the motor and saw that cam plug was leaking. Should i just use silicone to seal it up ? or does the cap have to come out ?

Anything short of replacing it is a bandaide. IMO

Pull that plug out and replace it as long as the engine is out.

Can the plug be taken out from the back side ?? A friend said he would just use the silicone.

Dent puller or alternate, with some creativity, and some slight drilling should get it out.

drilling doenst sound like a good idea, the spurs have to go somewhere. Any other options ??

If it's not leaking too bad you can clean the surface up really good and then put some permatex form-a-gasket around the hole and let it cure before you run it again. Ideally you should take it out and redo it, but the sealer should be fine. I try not to use rtv silicone anymore. Lots better stuff out there to use.

When I installed the cam plug on my last engine I sealed the outside of the hole up with 3M fast + firm body sealer. Dries hard as a rock in a few hours and is hanging in there just fine.

Is that 3m stuff like a seam sealer ?

Yes, the fast + firm is autobody seam sealer. Any autobody supply shop or NAPA store that has autobody supplies should have it.

Permatex form-a-gasket comes in two flavors; one that dries hard and one that doesn't. I would go for the one that dries hard.

As long as its not loose, clean it well and put a good bead of ultra RTV in around the edge.

Why is it so hard to take it out and do it right??? It isn't aerospace mechanics to take that plug out or to put a new one in. The engine is already out.

If you're good at hitting them and spinning them, then try that. I wasn't so good and ended up pushing it back towards the cam (on a 440) then had to drill and yank it. The drill shavings didn't seem to be a problem.

However a good application of some ultra black RTV should do the trick, or "right stuff". Heck even JB weld would work, and would still chip/crack away if you ever needed to get that plug out again.

If you drill a hole and use a dent puller to get it out the shavings aren't going to go anywhere. You can clean them out once the plug is out.

It sounds like the cam plug wasn't installed properly. You don't want to have it fall out and catch the torque converter bolts, don't ask me how I know.

Tap on it to see if it seems loose. If you end up needing to drill an access hole for removal, coat your drill bit with a good amount of wheel bearing grease, the metal shavings will stay in the grease and shouldn't contaminate anything in the engine.

I would not worry about the shavings when drilling the cap, you can clean them out after removing the plug. There is really nowhere for the shavings to go when the cam is not spining.
If the plug is in tight and not leaking too bad you could clean the block/plug really good with brake cleaner and goop it up with RTV, but if the engine is out and you know the plug is leaking you may as well replace it.
I usually go and get a normal cup type plug to install in place of the concave plug, but the last 360 I built used the standard concave plug, and I just made sure to put a good bead of RTV along the outer part of the plug just in case it does not seal 100%.
When I was at the machine shop I was looking at a Magnum engine and it had a nice looking cam plug seal. I don't know if it was a standard Magnum part or aftermarket, but it looked like an inverted cup seal where the seal cups in then folds back out?
Anyone know if that is a standard magnum part and if it fits the older blocks?

I just went to Jegs web site, and looked up the Pioneer freeze plug kit. The Cam core plug I had seen is pictured on the upper right:

I drill a small hole or two, screw in a couple screws, and pry them out. The filings can be removed with a magnet and they will not travel anywhere. I would goop it. It's a pain in the behind if it leaks again. Also, I hate that particular design... I use the one under it that goes in and gets hit in the center to expand it. Use a little grey silicone on the outside edge, and smooth it around the seam after it's expanded, and it's done.

the plug is not loose. It does look like its crooked though.

An alternative to drilling might be to tack weld a bolt to the back of the plug and use a slide hammer or vise grips to pop it out.