YACT: What are "freeze out plugs"???

[krunchykrome]

I found this 1989 Lincoln Town Car for sale for $300. It has 155K miles on it with a V-8 engine. The body is in great shape and the interior looks great too. The dealer said the car needs 2 "freeze out plugs" installed...what the hell are those? I did a google search and could not find out. Can anyone help me....

Also, does anyone have any expereince with old lincolns like this?

 

[zixxer]

they are plugs that pop out if the engine is in below freezing temps and the coolant freezes

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: se7enty7
they are plugs that pop out if the engine is in below freezing temps and the coolant freezes

How much do they generally cost? And are they easy to install? If not, how much would they cost to get installed?

 

[Ornery]

Try searching for freeze plugs instead. Never heard 'em called freeze out plugs.

 

[Bekker]

They are called freeze plugs and the cost to replace would probably vary lots by car. I am not a mechanic, but I would probably be afraid of it because I am not sure the whole system would be protected by them. I think they protect against a cracked block, but maybe not a water pump, etc. If you consider buying be sure to check with some other mechanic(s) you trust regarding what all might be involved. Good luck, Bekker

 

[Ornery]

Tell the dealer you'll buy it if he installs the plugs. Might be tight quarters in there.

 

[thedarkwolf]

They are probably just leaking and I wouldn't be scared of the car at all. They cost nothing but depending on what all is in the way they can be a pain to replace. They are in the side of the block and maybe blocked by the cross member which means you would have to take the motor mounts loose and lift the engine up a bit to get to them. Alot of blocks have freeze plugs on the back between the engine and trans aswell. I can't remember if the 302s have thoughs or not. You have to take the trans out to get to those but since its RWD even that isn't that hard.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
They are probably just leaking and I wouldn't be scared of the car at all. They cost nothing but depending on what all is in the way they can be a pain to replace. They are in the side of the block and maybe blocked by the cross member which means you would have to take the motor mounts loose and lift the engine up a bit to get to them. Alot of blocks have freeze plugs on the back between the engine and trans aswell. I can't remember if the 302s have thoughs or not. You have to take the trans out to get to those but since its RWD even that isn't that hard.

All that, and you wouldn't be afraid of the car? :Q

Besides, if it's frozen before, who knows what kind of damage it could have..

Buyer beware...

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
They are probably just leaking and I wouldn't be scared of the car at all. They cost nothing but depending on what all is in the way they can be a pain to replace. They are in the side of the block and maybe blocked by the cross member which means you would have to take the motor mounts loose and lift the engine up a bit to get to them. Alot of blocks have freeze plugs on the back between the engine and trans aswell. I can't remember if the 302s have thoughs or not. You have to take the trans out to get to those but since its RWD even that isn't that hard.

How much do you suppose something like this would cost at a mechanic?

 

[thedarkwolf]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
They are probably just leaking and I wouldn't be scared of the car at all. They cost nothing but depending on what all is in the way they can be a pain to replace. They are in the side of the block and maybe blocked by the cross member which means you would have to take the motor mounts loose and lift the engine up a bit to get to them. Alot of blocks have freeze plugs on the back between the engine and trans aswell. I can't remember if the 302s have thoughs or not. You have to take the trans out to get to those but since its RWD even that isn't that hard.

All that, and you wouldn't be afraid of the car? :Q

Besides, if it's frozen before, who knows what kind of damage it could have..

Buyer beware...

Who says its been fronzen? I just said they are probably just leaking which happens. The freeze plugs are there so it doesn't get damanged if it has frozen. I am not saying that it couldn't cause a problem but for $300 it wouldn't bother me.

I have no idea how much it would cost to get fixed. Call a mechanic and ask him. I don't know if I would buy it unless I could fix it myself. Those cars are really nice but they are worth much. They go for around $1500-2000 here all the time for ones in really good shape.

 

[OrganizedChaos]

freeze plugs aern't exactly complicted. you pry the old one out and smack the new one in with a hammer.

 

[zixxer]

be more aware of what might have happened if the person drove it with no coolant in the engine.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
freeze plugs aern't exactly complicted. you pry the old one out and smack the new one in with a hammer.

That isn't really the point..

They shouldn't have problems unless they were improperly installed before, OR they did their job.. in which case the coolant in the block froze at some point.

Unless you want to be sinking money into the car, you can probably find something better.. unless it's an absolute steal, and you want to use the saved money to fix it.... which it appears to be, but just beware...

I would try and figure out exactly why the freeze plugs have come to be damaged, though. If the seller gives you any awry answers, just leave.

I guess the dealership may not know.

 

[Vette73]

As others have said freeze plugs are there so that if your coolant freezes they pop out instead of the block cracking.

Now juts because they poped out does not mean there is not damage to the motor. BUT for $300 if the body is 100% and the inside is fixable then I say go for it. Sounds like a decent fixer upper. If YOU are not into working on your own stuff then move on and STOP looking at cars that cheap.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
As others have said freeze plugs are there so that if your coolant freezes they pop out instead of the block cracking.

Now juts because they poped out does not mean there is not damage to the motor. BUT for $300 if the body is 100% and the inside is fixable then I say go for it. Sounds like a decent fixer upper. If YOU are not into working on your own stuff then move on and STOP looking at cars that cheap.

It seems like from his past posts, I've kinda labeled him "gearhead", but maybe not to the extent I thought.

 

[alkemyst]

Thing is even if the freeze plugs are leaking by design no damage should be present.....overheating will rarely blow a freezeplug at all (different mechanism).

a $300 car (luxury no less) in great condition with 155k on the clock is a good deal with only needing a couple freeze plugs.

I'd get an estimate on the labor rate and determine if it's still a good deal for you.

Å

 

[alkemyst]

oh no3s post x2!!!11!!1one!!11

 

[Bulk Beef]

The real reason for freeze plugs is to plug the holes they use to get the casting core material out.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: sward666
The real reason for freeze plugs is to plug the holes they use to get the casting core material out.

BINGO! The sand used in the casting of the block is reinforced with a wire mesh. Those holes permit access for it's removal. Only use brass soft plugs as replacements. For the less accessible, if the old one can be driven into the block,
use a rubber replacement. They cost several buck$ but are secured by turning a nut. They are like a rubber stopper for a thermos as it expands to seal.

Engine blocks will crack before a freeze plug pops out. There are more properly called soft plugs.


Some shade tree mechanics will clean off the surface of the leaker and put a wad of JB Weld or some other epoxy as a
fix. This is an area I always inspect on an old car, even a 280Z Eli

 

[thedarkwolf]

Even if the whole engine is borked a junkyard 302 around here is about $300. There really isn't a lot of risk with a $300 car IF you can work on it yourself.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: galvanizedyankee

Originally posted by: sward666
The real reason for freeze plugs is to plug the holes they use to get the casting core material out.

BINGO! The sand used in the casting of the block is reinforced with a wire mesh. Those holes permit access for it's removal. Only use brass soft plugs as replacements. For the less accessible, if the old one can be driven into the block,
use a rubber replacement. They cost several buck$ but are secured by turning a nut. They are like a rubber stopper for a thermos as it expands to seal.

Engine blocks will crack before a freeze plug pops out. There are more properly called soft plugs.


Some shade tree mechanics will clean off the surface of the leaker and put a wad of JB Weld or some other epoxy as a
fix. This is an area I always inspect on an old car, even a 280Z Eli

Yeah, well.. I want to spend 3-4K on a nice Z, so hopefully it isn't going to have any known serious mechanical problems.