Freeze plug seeping, What would you do?

Posted By: cataclysm80

Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/13/09 09:23 PM

Hello, I've got a freeze plug on my girlfriends 2000 Dodge Neon that has been seeping a little antifreeze out. It loses about a quart of antifreeze every 3000 miles.

It's pretty tough to get to in a neon. I'd probably have to take off the exhaust manifold & the passenger side CV axle. I was able to get my hand up in there and push on it. It feels solid, didn't push out, but still leaks.

The car just passed 100,000 miles and sometimes knocks just a little on a cold morning start.

What would you do?

Just add antifreeze every oil change until the engine wears out and needs rebuilt, or fix the freeze plug now, or other?

Can it be fixed without pulling the engine?

Tav

Posted By: abodyman

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/13/09 09:37 PM

How well do You like Your girlfriend?

I didnt know it ever got cold in Florida!
The best thing to do, would be relace it, but its a big pain.
May as well flush out the cooling system while Your at it. To see if any more are rusted out.
Anyway, it will only get worse.
If things are real serious between You 2, then pull the motor and replace ALL of them.
You could try one of those rubber plugs that expand when You tighten them...But You still have to get the old freeze plug out and clean up the hole so the new rubber one will seal properly.
Now...My idiot brother actually SWEARS by taking egg whites and adding them to your radiator and then starting the car up till its warmed up...

I asked him one time, do You add salt and pepper with that?

He didnt think it was funny

Posted By: RapidRobert

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/13/09 09:42 PM

Quote:

add salt and pepper with that?

actually people (including myself) have stopped minor coolant leaks with pepper

Posted By: Pacnorthcuda

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/13/09 09:44 PM

you could try an epoxy fix. JB Weld.

Posted By: 1_WILD_RT

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/13/09 09:58 PM

Find a new girlfriend...

Posted By: ledft79

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/14/09 03:44 AM

get the rotted plug out before it lets loose and over-heats and ruins the motor. Then clean the hole and use an expandable rubber plug or use a block heater plug if there is room inside the water jacket for the heater probe. That would be the easy way. Pull the engine, replace them all and flush the old crap out of the cooling system, fill with good antifreeze. that would be the correct way to do it, but not the easy way.

Posted By: BDW

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/14/09 10:12 AM

Quote:

you could try an epoxy fix. JB Weld.

For a quick patch, since you mentioned you could get your hand to the spot.

Depends on how long you'll be with her?

Posted By: 440challenger

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/14/09 01:47 PM

drain the anti freeze and block, clean the freeze plug and surrounding area really well. Jb it up

Posted By: Paul_Fancsali

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/14/09 04:24 PM

If you can spray down with brake clean and silicone seal it period make sure it sets up before you run it and if you can drain coolant before you do it below the freeze plug

Posted By: 67_Satellite

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 01:05 AM

I'm with you on the pepper.About 2 tablespoons stopped the seeping head gasket on my old Buick Century 2.2 liter 4 cyl. Reapply as needed.

Posted By: 1976duster

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 01:19 AM

K&W Engine Block Sealent!

Posted By: gtx6970

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 02:00 AM

fix it right the 1st time, now before it becomes a bigger issue.

Posted By: yorker

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 02:23 AM

My 97 Ram has had a slight leak at a freeze plug since I bought it 3 years ago. I have to fill the resivor and a little in the rad. about once a month.
It has never got worse. I have not fixed it.

Now I do not think mine is related to rust as I think the ccoolant system had been maintained.

If yoours is rusting, it may get worse.

I had a reputable garage tell me jb weld should work.

This belongs in the tech section

Posted By: GTX70sixpack

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 03:00 AM

Get up Saturday morning, pull the engine, install core plugs, timing belt, water pump, any leaking gaskets or seals, clean and paint engine, it's running and ready Saturday night.

Posted By: minivan

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 03:30 AM

Quote:

Get up Saturday morning, pull the engine, install core plugs, timing belt, water pump, any leaking gaskets or seals, clean and paint engine, it's running and ready Saturday night.

Heck yeah, Just make sure she isn't like my last girlfriend who was boinking every other guy in town while I was keeping her car going for her......

Posted By: 1_WILD_RT

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 03:37 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Get up Saturday morning, pull the engine, install core plugs, timing belt, water pump, any leaking gaskets or seals, clean and paint engine, it's running and ready Saturday night.

Heck yeah, Just make sure she isn't like my last girlfriend who was boinking every other guy in town while I was keeping her car going for her......

Reason I liked my answer best...

"Find a new girlfriend..."

Posted By: roadhazard

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 01:45 PM

Quote:

actually people (including myself) have stopped minor coolant leaks with pepper

I have stopped minor coolant leaks with pepper also. I used "coarse ground pepper" as the regular seems to be too fine. Leak was stopped for as long as I needed.

Pepper doesn't seem to have any adverse effects on the cooling system like other sealers do.

If it's already knocking on cold start up the motor isn't in the best of shape anyway.

Posted By: siggie30

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 03:41 PM

Quote:

How well do You like Your girlfriend?
I didnt know it ever got cold in Florida!
The best thing to do, would be relace it, but its a big pain.
May as well flush out the cooling system while Your at it. To see if any more are rusted out.
Anyway, it will only get worse.
If things are real serious between You 2, then pull the motor and replace ALL of them.
You could try one of those rubber plugs that expand when You tighten them...But You still have to get the old freeze plug out and clean up the hole so the new rubber one will seal properly.
Now...My idiot brother actually SWEARS by taking egg whites and adding them to your radiator and then starting the car up till its warmed up...
I asked him one time, do You add salt and pepper with that? He didnt think it was funny

You know, I thought I had the only dumb------ brother that would put an egg into the coolant system. He put 3 in the truck I gave him (97' tacoma) and it plugged up the heater box and the head gasket, eventually leading to a cracked head. I bought it off of him for $200 and fixed it for about $400 total (including a used head). Been driving it (again) ever since. The pepper trick is a temporary fix only and should be used for "getting home". I would suggest that you take the time to do a proper repair and replace the plug unless your girlfriend is not worth your time, but I imagine that you could trade off the next argument with the repair.

Posted By: Crizila

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 12/15/09 08:27 PM

Quote:

Hello, I've got a freeze plug on my girlfriends 2000 Dodge Neon that has been seeping a little antifreeze out. It loses about a quart of antifreeze every 3000 miles.

It's pretty tough to get to in a neon. I'd probably have to take off the exhaust manifold & the passenger side CV axle. I was able to get my hand up in there and push on it. It feels solid, didn't push out, but still leaks.

The car just passed 100,000 miles and sometimes knocks just a little on a cold morning start.

What would you do?

Just add antifreeze every oil change until the engine wears out and needs rebuilt, or fix the freeze plug now, or other?

Can it be fixed without pulling the engine?

Tav

Give it to the local chruch and claim it as a tax deduction.

Posted By: cataclysm80

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 01/27/10 05:50 AM

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I haven't figured out when yet, but it looks like I'll be replacing the freeze plug to fix it right. I proposed Friday evening while we were on a four day weekend in Key West.

Tav

Posted By: MoparMarq

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 01/27/10 05:59 AM

Quote:

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I haven't figured out when yet, but it looks like I'll be replacing the freeze plug to fix it right. I proposed Friday evening while we were on a four day weekend in Key West.

Tav

Congrats and good luck to you both.

Now you HAVE to fix the car right because, obviously, she's worth it.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Freeze plug seeping, What would you do? - 01/27/10 04:24 PM

Quote:

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I haven't figured out when yet, but it looks like I'll be replacing the freeze plug to fix it right. I proposed Friday evening while we were on a four day weekend in Key West.

Tav

Now you really ARE in hot water