Daves1940Buick56S Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 All:As part of the massive flush project I am doing this weekend to try to alleviate my overheating problem, I wanted to take out the rear expansion (freeze) plug to see if I could get some of the garbage out. Unfortunately, it seems stuck tighter than a sparrow's you-know-what. Do I apply a weapon of mass destruction or what? Any tips?Thanks, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Dave,Could you post a picture of the offending plug for the benefit of those to follow?How much room do you have to work with ? If you have a right angle drill, you could punch a couple of holes in it and collapse it toward the center.Heat (acetylene wrench) would be my last option.Just my $ .02Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grant Magrath Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Mike is correct, drill it and hook it out. It needs to be replaced anyway most likely.CheersGrant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 Mike:OK, here it is. You can see where I was wailing on it with a drift.Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 To Mike's questions:I can get a straight drill on it. The problem with the hammer and drift method is getting enough power on it. I can probably drill a large hole in it and use a pry bar.Thanks, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Dave,Looks like you have her punched, so now drill sucessively larger holes till you can get a pretty large screwdiver in there to pry it out.When replacing it, make sure you have a good clean bore to tap it into.And while your down there, you might consider pulling that vent just to make sure it's not clogged.Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937-44 Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I used a slightly different method for the removal of my plugs. I welded a bead onto the flange of the plug which heated the metal and broke away some of the rust, then once cooled I used a pry bar with a block of wood against the block (to displace the pressure) and pried them out. It worked for me. Good luck. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 You are on the right track with drilling or punching a hole, then prying it out. It's nice soft material, so it should yield first. Be careful not to drill into the cylinder! Also, be careful not to chew up the casting, where you need to seal the new one. Use some Permatex around the circumference of the new one, set it in place, then tap the center to expand it.Also, if you were a bit closer to Dayton, you could stop by and borrow my deluxe flusher-outer. A friend made it for me - using a brass hose connection (female end), he brazed on a compression fitting (male) that would then accept a length of 1/4 inch copper refrigeration tubing, flared and with the mating compression fitting. This steps up the pressure from your hose tremendously (be careful!), and can also be bent to various shapes to reach all the way down into the block - from any of the access points you are opening up. Works great.Good luck,Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 Thanks to all!Jeff - yeah, Rockville to Dayton is a bit far. But I have my neighbor's power washer and was going to try flushing thru the plugs (if this one comes out OK I will open one up towards the front as well).Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grant Magrath Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 If flushing's not an option, a magnet on a wire through the rear expansion plug can haul out a huge amount of crud!CheersGrant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 I finally got back to it yesterday. Tried the drill and pry method first - no go! So I got out the hole saw and punched a 1" hole, but offset to the side. I thought I could then pry the remainder out. I used a huge pry bar with adjustable hook. Still no go! I could bend the plug a little but that's all. So I got out the 1 3/4" hole saw and removed the remainder. This all took a couple of hours. I am using a expandable rubber replacement for now so no worries about some "imperfections" on the seat.I then used a adaptation of Jeff's method. I got a standard hose fitting with a 3/8" barb on it at Home depot, along with a few feet of 1/4" copper tubing. I connected them together using a short piece of rubber fuel line and now have a flush tool like Jeff's but with no welding. I then "de-scunged" the block using this tool. Got a LOT of crud out.Now for the fun part. Using a power washer I got a bunch more out, Also reverse flushed the radiator with it. Then I did a flow test on the radiator. Looks like about 4 to 5 secs to empty. Hopefully this will be OK. So now I am buttoning back up and will try a stress test tomorrow.Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Engle Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I've removed a lot of these plugs by drilling a small hole in the middle, then thread in a sheetmetal screw. I like the ones with a flanged hex on them. Then I use a large prybar. I have one of the screw driver type with a Vee groove in the center. On the radiator, It will take a lot of back flushing to clear the passages. I like to back flush for several hours with a radiator flush and hot water. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Do yourself a favor and rent or buy a freeze plug installer to put the new one in. It's like magic! I've never had problems pulling them, but installing is another story. Most of the crud in there will behave since the block isn't under the same pressure as the radiator. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Managed to get a lot done today. Completed the buttonup. I used one of the rubber expansion plugs to replace the expansion plug I destroyed and it went in nice. Refilled, no leaks. Started up and let run for 45 mins. It was just getting to 200 degrees (have a 160 degree thermostat). No leaks under pressure, all good. I think this is OK but I won't know for sure until I drive it some. Or am I wrong, can these engines maintain enough heat transfer at idle? Anyway, I did check the cylinder temps and before I cleaned out the block there was a +30 degree delta from front to back, now it's about +5 degrees. So I did some good there.Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Dave, if I missed it, has the radiator been pulled and rodded and boiled out? If not ,for what my thoughts are worth, you are p***ing in the wind. I have NEVER seen and old vehicle that overheats that could be "fixed" otherwise. Perhaps you will be the exception. Hope so. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Ben - I will probably have to do that, but at this point I have to have the car at least driveable because we are having a carport built on (for the Buick!) and I can't have it disabled for the next few weeks. After that I've got a bunch of things coming up which takes me to the end of the year, so a radiator pull will have to wait for next Spring I'm afraid. But at least I think now it's drivable for short distances around town which is what I need at this moment, and it wasn't before.Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 Ben - your record is still intact! I drove it a few miles today and it is still overheating. But it is a lot better - it stayed around 180 for quite a while, then slowly crept up to just shy of 200. I thought it might stay there but it finally went over 200 just as I was getting back home. But no boilover this time. So the next and last item is the radiator just as you figured. Sometime over the winter I will pull off the hood again and yank the radiator.Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trp3141592 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) Hi Dave,For what it's worth, I have been where you are. When I first got my 1940 LaSalle it overheated to where you could fry steaks on the hood. Removing the odd-ball shutter-vane thermostat and recoring the radiator did not help. But I noticed when refilling the radiator and block that it took much less coolant than the specs said it should take. I pulled the heads to see what was going on. Sometime in the LaSalle's past someone had dumped a BOATLOAD of Stop-Leak into the radiator, and it all settled in the water jackets that surround the cylinders. The stuff was set up like concrete. It took most of a day to chip it out with a BFH and long screwdriver until the block was free of this crud.Since that day I have had no overheating issues with the car. For cold weather drivng I use a dash-mounted cable to open and close the shutters manually.Next time you fill up the cooling system, count how many quarts you are installing. Perhaps the jackets in your block are cast full of Stop-leak also.--Tom Edited September 9, 2012 by trp3141592 word correction (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 Tom - thanks for the suggestion. I think I am OK on the block since I removed an expansion plug (painfully - see above) and basically pressure washed all of the crud out. I could see that it was clear on the rear cyls so I don't think there is anything deleterious left in there. I also did a front to back temp differential check and it's now about 5 degrees where it was almost 30 before. I think it's just a plugged radiator.Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick W. Brooks Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Hello Dave: In late 2003 or 2004 I published an article in the Buge, complete with pictures, about removing and replacing freeze plugs. Check this Bugle article and it will answer the questions you have about removal, installation, and tools. Let me know if you have questions after reading the article. Patrick W. Brooksh, BCA3939 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLYER15015 Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Dave,It sounds like you are almost home.Ever consider replacing your funky looking 4 bladed fan with a Hayden 6 bladed flex fan ? They are on e-bay for about $40.00. I put one on my '40 LTD and it works very well. Had to trim 1/2" off the back of the blades to clear the gen pully, and painted it flat black.I used model 3567 which is 16 7/8" in diameter, though there are many others available. That and the CLR flush cured my overheating problems.Just my $ .02Mike in Colorado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daves1940Buick56S Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Thanks Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now