Leaking Freeze plug?

[shoftw]

Got it all back together and i got coolant spraying out the back of the bellhousing. The heater core hoses are new and dont appear to be leaking. The 2 hoses in the middle of the motor look dry too so that only leaves one thing .

Has anybody ever had leaking freeze plugs? This motor has always had timely coolant changes so im just surprise if thats whats leaking. I'll try and get a mirror up there and see if thats what leaking.

 

[E1]

Never seen that. I think once I saw a block heater leak.

During your travels under the hood, have you ever come across a 110 volt male plug that just didn't make sense?

 

[shoftw]

Never ran across any 110volt plug. My 96 ffv Taurus had a engine block heater so i know what to look for. This is gonna suck to have to pull it apart again.

Its definitely leaking out of the bell housing right in the area where u have access to the torque converter bolts.

 

[RonPorter]

Leaking freeze plugs are not that unusual on any engine, usually when they get as old as these are. They can also corrode and rust from the outside.

Dunno about the SHO engines, but ones I've seen in the past with block heaters had the block heater replacing a freeze plug.

 

[shoftw]

Well i had the car pretty high in the air this whole time as soon as i dropped it u could here it poring out.

Looks like its leaking from a coolant pipe to the rear head?
By the way crushed walnuts is the way to go when cleaning the intake valves, engine runs really smooth and throttle response is so responsive. In the bmw fourms some cars where down 40hp on the dyno when the valves are all gummed up.

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

Ha crap...

There is a coolant gasket (paper IIRC) under the TB going to the bloc (IIRC) nearer from the rear head and it's made from unobtainium...

I was searching for it in the last month and no store have it. Maybe someone here.

Here it is. It's probably part #8590. Watch also 8K540.

Watch also hoses and clamp in this area. Hoses develop cracks and factory clamps become loose.


If yours gasket start to falling apart, you must think to change some gasket before they fail like the one of the waterpump (#8507) which is made from paper (if isn't already done).

 

[luigisho]

If you are looking for a paper gasket you can't find, you can make one from a sheet of paper gasket material and the old one for the pattern.

 

[E1]

That pipe to head interface is not a gasket.

It is an O ring. One can obtain them from a local Ace Hardware, bring the carcass to match.
.
Home Depot probably won't have it.

One wants EPDM Viton or Buna N material for chemical resistance.

 

[shoftw]

That pipe to head interface is not a gasket.

It is an O ring. One can obtain them from a local Ace Hardware, bring the carcass to match.
.
Home Depot probably won't have it.

One wants EPDM Viton or Buna N material for chemical resistance.

Yeah mine is definitely 8k540 thats leaking. Its cold up here so ive been trying to wait till it warmed up. I noticed that it looks like there are no bolts in that pipe.

So its been like that for the last 13 years i owned the car and just now decided to leak, crazy.

 

[SM105K]

Funny story, I had my twin turbo LS 370 motor lift a head and literally violently ejected the freeze plug out of the head lol.

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

Yeah mine is definitely 8k540 thats leaking. Its cold up here so ive been trying to wait till it warmed up. I noticed that it looks like there are no bolts in that pipe.

So its been like that for the last 13 years i owned the car and just now decided to leak, crazy.

Let us know when it will be unbolted, I'm curious to see it and know alternative replacements for (as I don't have a local Ace Hardware here).

With their age, the coolant gasket (and O-rings) have to be watched carefully... There are some cases where 8590 failed too.

 

[luigisho]

Do you have some hardware retail options in your area? I would drop shonut a private message (it's now a 'conversation' on the board) and see if he has a Canadian solution or ideas.

 

[shoftw]

Let us know when it will be unbolted, I'm curious to see it and know alternative replacements for (as I don't have a local Ace Hardware here).

With their age, the coolant gasket (and O-rings) have to be watched carefully... There are some cases where 8590 failed too.

I found some bolts to fit it and with the engine off its not leaking. I probably won't take it apart till my new water pump gets here( hopefully this weekend). But ill be sure to post pics.

 

[shoftw]

Do you have some hardware retail options in your area? I would drop shonut a private message (it's now a 'conversation' on the board) and see if he has a Canadian solution or ideas.

I've got a local ace true value I'll probably try first then if not ill probably try and see what shonut can come up with.

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

If no original part are found, other brands make o-rings for their coolant sensors... (smaller than our waterpump o-ring). Maybe one can fit.

Left top corner
https://picclick.co.uk/COOLANT-TEMP-TEMPERATURE-SENSOR-2-PIN-GREY-For-152402081006.html
Alone, itsn't too expansive.
https://picclick.co.uk/VW-C-CLIP-O-RING-for-Coolant-171011609440.html

IIRC, I never see a page or related infos on V8SHO site about this part. Take time to take some photos of this part once retreived.

 

[luigisho]

Yes. If there is a solution found here it should be posted and archived

 

[RonPorter]

Funny story, I had my twin turbo LS 370 motor lift a head and literally violently ejected the freeze plug out of the head lol.

At the end of the season Zach blew a couple out of the block on the stock rod engine in the Blue Turd when the stock headgaskets couldn't hold it.

Then he got some custom headgaskets that held the boost, but then he discovered the limits of the stock rods! There's always the "next weakest link"!

 

[shoftw]

Ok here's more weirdness for you guys, was just looking at my old transmission that i pulled and look.

What's that doing there? Sho uses abs for its speed. It should be capped off like the trans i just put in

 

[GEN 3 SHO FAN]

A speed sensor socket ? Similar to the speed sensor of the on AX4S on a V6 single cam but a bit different. The sensor on the AX4S is almost under the aluminium sheild...

Can your car have herited of a AX4N of a V6 duratech sooner in his life ? Many mechanics and part softwares doesn't make the difference between SHO AX4N and AX4N for Duratech...

What is the reason of trans change ?

 

[RonPorter]

I'm not up on old (or new, for that matter) SHO ATX trannies but didn't the switch to ABS for speed monitoring start with the Gen 3s? All I remember is the issue with the 98s not reading over ~105 mph.