Freeze Plugs Blew

From : jedmo123

Q: my 98 dakota overheated and the shop told me that the freeze plugs blew out. this is the first virginia winter my truck has seen. i did have the antifreeze checked before moving from atlanta several months ago. can someone tell me why freeze plugs blow out is this something i could have avoided thanks je .

Replies:

From : curmudgeon

freeze plugs are designed to blow out when the water in the block freezes. you either didnt have anti-freeze in there or it was incredibly cold and the anti-freeze froze. not likely somebody in atlanta screwed you...or was too stupid to know better. my 98 dakota overheated and the shop told me that the freeze plugs blew out. this is the first virginia winter my truck has seen. i did have the antifreeze checked before moving from atlanta several months ago. can someone tell me why freeze plugs blow out is this something i could have avoided thanks je .

From : jedmo123ken

the most common cause for failing freeze plugs is due to old coolant. just because coolant may test good and look good doesnt mean it still has good rust inhibitors. also coolant will build up acid compounds over a few years which is the main reason to flush and replace every 2 years. james thanks it looks like i got screwed in atlanta. i paid for a coolant flush and refill because there was some rust present. expensive lesson learned here! je .

From : james1549

freeze plugs are designed to blow out when the water in the block freezes. you either didnt have anti-freeze in there or it was incredibly cold and the anti-freeze froze. not likely i dont think they are designed to blow. they are actually called core plugs - to fill a whole from the casting process. yes they will blow out when the coolant freezes but i hardly think by design. the plug has been designed for cost to repair a void. flame away. james .

From : napalm heart

freeze plugs are designed to blow out when the water in the block freezes. you either didnt have anti-freeze in there or it was incredibly cold and the anti-freeze froze. not likely i dont think they are designed to blow. they are actually called core plugs - to fill a whole from the casting process. yes they will blow out when the coolant freezes but i hardly think by design. the plug has been designed for cost to repair a void. flame away. james if freezing water forces out a set of core plugs the freezing likely has cracked the block and/or a heads. ken .

From : ken

the shop that replaced your freeze plugs would be the one to ask if they were forced out due to frozen coolant/water or if they blew out due to corrosion. the shop in atlanta should have told you what temp the coolant was good for maybe it tested fine for the temps you would see in atlanta. ken w the most common cause for failing freeze plugs is due to old coolant. just because coolant may test good and look good doesnt mean it still has good rust inhibitors. also coolant will build up acid compounds over a few years which is the main reason to flush and replace every 2 years. james thanks it looks like i got screwed in atlanta. i paid for a coolant flush and refill because there was some rust present. expensive lesson learned here! je .

From : jedmo123roy

if freezing water forces out a set of core plugs the freezing likely has cracked the block and/or a heads. i dont thik this is the case. i did have the gaskets replaced since it did overheat. the odd thing is when they blew the weather was not that bad. it was at night and i had driven ten miles. i was almost to my home. it is the first major thing to go wrong with the 5.2 in 104000 miles i was hoping to get to 200000 before i had to spend some money .

From : roy

freeze plugs are designed to blow out when the water in the block freezes. you either didnt have anti-freeze in there or it was incredibly cold and the anti-freeze froze. not likely i dont think they are designed to blow. they are actually called core plugs - to fill a whole from the casting process. yes they will blow out when the coolant freezes but i hardly think by design. the plug has been designed for cost to repair a void. flame away. james no need to flame ya but you are apparently expecting some. they are designed to give in a freeze thankfully so. heres a hint for ya you fill a hole not a whole. roy .

From : nosey

jedmo123 wrote if freezing water forces out a set of core plugs the freezing likely has cracked the block and/or a heads. i dont thik this is the case. i did have the gaskets replaced since it did overheat. the odd thing is when they blew the weather was not that bad. it was at night and i had driven ten miles. i was almost to my home. it is the first major thing to go wrong with the 5.2 in 104000 miles i was hoping to get to 200000 before i had to spend some money a failed head gasket can over-pressurize the cooling system. perhaps it was the cause of the cooling system trouble not incidental damage from overheating. .