Thanks Zman - sounds good. I had a bad feeling about supporting the engine by the oil pan. The trouble now is my floor jack slowly sinks with a load on it. Guess I have to work fast.

 

Doesn't sound too good emcee, you really should not work with defective equipment.
I've had floor jacks do that, quick as I notice it I dismantle them and toss them in the garbage.
I suppose maybe they can be rehabbed, most likely with new seals ,,, But I prefer to be on the safe side.

 

Jacks are too cheap these days to bother trying to fix.

 

I agree, thats why I take them apart before throwing them away, so a garbage scavenger doesn't come along and pick it up to try to sell for $5.

 

i've had some luck with fixing jacks by draining/changing the oil.
if that doesn't fix it, then discard it.

 

Will attempt the replacement tomorrow. I went to 3 parts stores before one had the plug in stock. This truck must be getting old. The crazy thing is the prices at the other 2 stores were $42 and $11! For 1 plug. I got it for 92 cents.

Also fixed my jack - it needed fluid added. I paid $100 for this 3 ton jack so I wasn't going to toss it too quick

The plug is just a steel cap. What stops the coolant from flowing around it? Does it back up to an o-ring?

 

Put RTV or I like to use permatex indian head gasket maker on freeze plugs. Also, I / we forgot to tell you to get a brass plug, but that one is not as important as the ones on the back of the block.

 

Well how did it go? I have one leaking a little. Access is a bear. I wire wheeled it and tried to drive it in a bit. Still leaking.
Do these things drive in until they seat? I was surprised how far it went in.
How hard was it to get it started straight in?

 

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1851831-post26.html

 

Removing the long bolt that goes through the motor mount was a pain. No room to turn the wrench and even with lube it was bound up the whole way out. The old plug popped out pretty easily and considering it wasn't rusted at all - probably too easily and that's why it was leaking. I never really got it started completely straight. It was slightly off after install and it I drove it in as far as the others - the edge ended up slightly below the surface. I cleaned up all around the hole real good and used the liquid gasket maker and so far it doesn't leak. The hardest part was finding the replacement plug. No parts store had the right one and even the 1st dealer I went to didn't have it. I had to drive about 45 miles one way to get it (1-5/8 shallow cup I think).

So other than a blown shop light (antifreeze) so far it was a success.