Can I change the freeze plugs on a 4.9L without removing the engine?

> wrote in message
...

> Your '67 mustang wasn't a 300. The 300 was NEVER installed in the
> Mustang, or any other Ford passenger car in North America. The 'Stang
> would have been either a 200 or a 240.

I dont believe the 240 I6 was offered.

The 200 straight six was available, the 289, the 289 HP, and the 390 v8, I
believe.

But the point is to strip the engine down to the point you can get at the
welch plugs,
and twist them out of there. I usually do it with a beat up screwdriver or
long punch.

Then use a suitable driver (or socket that you dont give a damn about) and
carefully
tap the new ones in.

As others have mentioned these are NOT freeze plugs. They are there to wash
out
the foundry sand after the block is cast, and for nothing else.

I dont really know when the 427 crossbolt was offered, if indeed it ever
was. I have heard
it was, but have never seen one. In 1968 I got one of the Hubert Platt 428
Cobrajets.
At the time, they said I could order a 427 but ONLY with 4 speed tranny, and
no warranty
worth discussing. Dealers here lie a lot.

On Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:41:20 -0500, "hls" > wrote:

>
> wrote in message
.. .
>
>> Your '67 mustang wasn't a 300. The 300 was NEVER installed in the
>> Mustang, or any other Ford passenger car in North America. The 'Stang
>> would have been either a 200 or a 240.
>
>I dont believe the 240 I6 was offered.

The 240 was available in everything except the Falcon and the Mustang
based on it. In 1969 the 250 cube 6 was available in the 'stang - but
you are right - never a 240, much less the 300. The ONLY six in '67
was the 200, as the 170 was history by then.(at least in the Mustang).
It was still available in the falcon until 1972.
>
>The 200 straight six was available, the 289, the 289 HP, and the 390 v8, I
>believe.
>
>But the point is to strip the engine down to the point you can get at the
>welch plugs,
>and twist them out of there. I usually do it with a beat up screwdriver or
>long punch.
>
>Then use a suitable driver (or socket that you dont give a damn about) and
>carefully
>tap the new ones in.
>
>As others have mentioned these are NOT freeze plugs. They are there to wash
>out
>the foundry sand after the block is cast, and for nothing else.
>
>I dont really know when the 427 crossbolt was offered, if indeed it ever
>was. I have heard
>it was, but have never seen one. In 1968 I got one of the Hubert Platt 428
>Cobrajets.
The 427 was (at least officially and theoretically) available in the
Mustang in 1968 - one year only and EXTREMELY rare. It was
(under-)rated at 390HP. I believe it was a "W" code and 2 or 3 may
have actually been produced before it was removed from the option list
in December of 1987. It was NOT available with a 4 speed - only
automatics were spec'ed. It was a $622 option
>At the time, they said I could order a 427 but ONLY with 4 speed tranny, and
>no warranty
>worth discussing. Dealers here lie a lot.

> wrote in message
...
>
> The 427 was (at least officially and theoretically) available in the
> Mustang in 1968 - one year only and EXTREMELY rare. It was
> (under-)rated at 390HP. I believe it was a "W" code and 2 or 3 may
> have actually been produced before it was removed from the option list
> in December of 1987. It was NOT available with a 4 speed - only
> automatics were spec'ed. It was a $622 option
>>At the time, they said I could order a 427 but ONLY with 4 speed tranny,
>>and
>>no warranty
>>worth discussing. Dealers here lie a lot.

That is right.. The 427 was shown only with the automatic, and I believe
that was
a special automatic.

My 428 had a C6. but it was a special run of C6. Ford claimed that engine
actually
put out something over 400 hp, but I think it was specked at 390. Buying
that
car was one of the mistakes of my life.

I don't know where you live but imagine your idea of cold and my idea of
cold differ.

I have never seen a "freeze" plug push out to save the block... This isn't
the "job" of the plug anyway... see the post about "core plugs".

Put the truck on a lift... of course everyone has at least one of these
available... What part of the original post did we forget? This poor shmuck
is working in the dirt like an Arab...




"Jeff Strickland" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Bob Cooper" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>>> bottom line - freeze plugs only leak if there's a serious problem. just
>>> because you've spent some money doesn't mean you have to go spend a
>>> bunch more. figure out what you're dealing with before you invest
>>> another cent on this thing. if you don't have the experience to figure
>>> it out, find someone who does.
>>
>> The only "serious problem" mentioned here is one or more thin metal
>> freezes plug have rusted and are leaking.
>> That's his "serious problem."
>
>
> ... and as problemg go, this one isn't really very serious. Freeze plugs
> fail for two reasons, they are pushed out because the block froze, or they
> rotted. If they are pushed out because the block froze, they are doing
> their job, and by definition this isn't a "problem." It's more of a pain
> in the ass than a serious problem.
>
> Frankly, fixing the freeze plugs from the bottom of the motor is the
> easiest way. Put the truck on a lift and work on it from underneath. There
> should be no need to remove the exhaust manifold from the head, but it
> might be necessary to take the exhaust pipe off of the manifold -- remove
> the muffler bearing -- and move it out of the way.
>
> I don't think that there is enough JB Weld in the universe to fix a freeze
> plug leak.
>
> Cooper is on the right track here, Beam has jumped the rails.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

"Kevin Bottorff" > wrote in message
...
> wrote in
> :
>
>> On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 09:07:52 -0700, "Jeff Strickland"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"jim beam" > wrote in message
>>>news:aoidnXGnfOT1PAzRnZ2dnUVZ_rSdnZ2d@speakeasy .net...
>>>>
>>>> fact: freeze plugs don't just leak unless there is a serious
>>>> problem.
>>>>
>>>
>>>Now, the rest of the story ...
>>>
>>>The FUNCTION of a freeze plug is to be the weak link in the event that
>>>the coolant freezes. The plugs are supposed to be pushed out by the
>>>expansion of frozen coolant. Freeze plugs can rot away or be pushed
>>>out, if they rot, then the coolant really isn't coolant, it's water,
>>>and if they are pushed out, again by freezing coolant that isn't
>>>really coolant, then they are doing what they are designed to do.
>>>(Having just pointed my crroked little finger at water, it's entirely
>>>possible that coolant/anti-freeze can actually freeze, so perhaps the
>>>mixture of coolant and water is proper and the freeze plugs leak
>>>anyway.)
>>>
>>>Doing what the design intent is normally is not considered to be a
>>>problem. You want frozen coolant to push the freeze plugs out because
>>>this is what prevents the block from cracking, that's why there are
>>>freeze plugs in the first place. I'm just saying ...
>>>
>>>
>> They are NOT frost plugs. They are CORE plugs. By the time they pop in
>> a freeze-up the head and/or block is often done. They are there to
>> facilitate removal of the sand casting cores. There location is
>> optimized for core removal, not for freeze damage protection.
>>
>
> yep, no such thing as a freeze plug. that is a slang used by those that
> don`t know any better. they are simply core plugs, nothing more. KB



Exactly they dont stop blocks from cracking if froze. Its too remove the
sand .

"Jim Warman" > wrote in message
news:lBjlo.950$89.280@edtnps83...
>I don't know where you live but imagine your idea of cold and my idea of
>cold differ.
>
> I have never seen a "freeze" plug push out to save the block... This isn't
> the "job" of the plug anyway... see the post about "core plugs".
>
> Put the truck on a lift... of course everyone has at least one of these
> available... What part of the original post did we forget? This poor
> shmuck is working in the dirt like an Arab...
>
>

I have seen exactly 3 freeze pugs fail in my 40+ years of automobile
ownership. None of the due to freezing, all of them from rotting from the
inside out.

On 9/19/10 4:12 AM, Jim Warman wrote:
> I don't know where you live but imagine your idea of cold and my idea of
> cold differ.
>
> I have never seen a "freeze" plug push out to save the block... This isn't
> the "job" of the plug anyway... see the post about "core plugs".
>
> Put the truck on a lift... of course everyone has at least one of these
> available... What part of the original post did we forget? This poor shmuck
> is working in the dirt like an Arab...

This is an inappropriate ethnic slur.

If the OP doesn't have access to a safe lift, I hope the OP uses ramps
and is very careful to make sure that the vehicle can't come crashing
down on top of him. I knew of one mechanic where this happened. The
costumer came back to find the mechanic under the collapsed car. Instead
of calling for help (the nearest fire station is only blocks away), the
mechanic told the lady who owned the car how to lift the car back up
with the equipment. It worked - sort of - the car slipped off the jack
and killed him dead.

The morals of the story:

1) Always use proper equipment to lift a car.

2) Always make sure that the car is extremely stable before you get
under it. Always make sure that you're getting under the car unless
there are backup devices (I always made sure that there jackstands in
place in case the jack itself failed).

3) If there is an accident, always call in the professionals who know
how to remove people from accidents safely, especially when they are
just a few minutes away. Better have the professionals do it than have
someone die.

Jeff

> "Jeff > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Bob > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>>> bottom line - freeze plugs only leak if there's a serious problem. just
>>>> because you've spent some money doesn't mean you have to go spend a
>>>> bunch more. figure out what you're dealing with before you invest
>>>> another cent on this thing. if you don't have the experience to figure
>>>> it out, find someone who does.
>>>
>>> The only "serious problem" mentioned here is one or more thin metal
>>> freezes plug have rusted and are leaking.
>>> That's his "serious problem."
>>
>>
>> ... and as problemg go, this one isn't really very serious. Freeze plugs
>> fail for two reasons, they are pushed out because the block froze, or they
>> rotted. If they are pushed out because the block froze, they are doing
>> their job, and by definition this isn't a "problem." It's more of a pain
>> in the ass than a serious problem.
>>
>> Frankly, fixing the freeze plugs from the bottom of the motor is the
>> easiest way. Put the truck on a lift and work on it from underneath. There
>> should be no need to remove the exhaust manifold from the head, but it
>> might be necessary to take the exhaust pipe off of the manifold -- remove
>> the muffler bearing -- and move it out of the way.
>>
>> I don't think that there is enough JB Weld in the universe to fix a freeze
>> plug leak.
>>
>> Cooper is on the right track here, Beam has jumped the rails.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

If you are going to lift your vehicle up to work under there, you can
never be too safe.Always make sure you have something good and solid
under the wheel(s) And be sure the vehicle can NOT slip off.Don't use
any hollow cinder/concrete blocks.
cuhulin

"dr_jeff" > wrote in message
...

>> Put the truck on a lift... of course everyone has at least one of these
>> available... What part of the original post did we forget? This poor
>> shmuck
>> is working in the dirt like an Arab...
>
> This is an inappropriate ethnic slur.

It isnt an ethnic slur at all. What would you prefer he say? Working on
the ground
like a sand flea?

Maybe you need to stay in an academic environment.. I am not sure that you
could
change a Welch plug in the real world. :>)

On 9/19/10 9:09 PM, hls wrote:
>
> "dr_jeff" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>> Put the truck on a lift... of course everyone has at least one of these
>>> available... What part of the original post did we forget? This poor
>>> shmuck
>>> is working in the dirt like an Arab...
>>
>> This is an inappropriate ethnic slur.
>
> It isnt an ethnic slur at all. What would you prefer he say? Working on
> the ground
> like a sand flea?

That would be better. Or how about lay on the ground?

If you don't think that's an ethnic slur, you're wrong.

> Maybe you need to stay in an academic environment.. I am not sure that
> you could
> change a Welch plug in the real world. :>)