I've got a '99 2WD with the 5.2L in it. 75000 miles and runs great.

As I was doing the front brakes yesterday I noticed that the rear Freeze plug on the right (Pax) side of the engine block was covered in rust & junk. There's also a very obvious trail where the leaking coolant ran down below. After running the engine for a while, it did begin to weep a bit of moisture, so there's no doubt as to where the problem is.

My question is... am I looking at pulling the engine ($$$$$$$), or can the plug be replaced without removing it? Can something like this be cleaned and patched with some JB Weld or similar product?

Has anyone else had a similar problem? All of the other plugs are fine... not a trace of corrosion... I'm confused.

Any help would be appreciated.

MM

 

you need to use a punch size depending on how high you have the car with mallothit light taps oin inside of plug on one side only until the plug pivots out enough to grab with vise grips to pull out then tap new plug in with a socket and extension until flush ,becareful not to hiyt oilpan at all or you will cause an oil leak by braking the seal on it

 

I see this an old thread, but I have a very, very similar problem. The other freeze plugs on my 5.9L look fine, but I do need to replace the one nearest the oil filter. My question here is, how long did the other freeze plugs last before they needed to be changed. I can only assume if one bad, the others will soon follow. Hopefully, MCM will be able to answer this riddle for me.

 

You need to clean the others with a rag and inspect. If look good, they should okay for a while. But also look at the transmission inspection cover. If you see any rust trail, good bet the freeze plugs on the back of the motor are leaking. When you do replace the leaking freeze plug, clean the inside of the hole with sand paper. And also take a finger and scoop out the dirt and rust thats inside the block. And fill 50/50 water and coolant.

 

Mine lasted 120K and it's funny as that's one that seems to weep for some reason?

 

Thanks guys...went ahead and replaced the freeze plug with a new brass plug, without any issues. Actually was alot easier than I had expected. All the other freeze plugs look great, with no indication of leaks anywhere. I am flushing the cooling system as well as I can, hopefully to minimize any further corrosion. I will be doing, very, very, regular coolant changes to make the other freeze plugs last as long as possible. Thanks again for all your help!

 

No problem!