WTF!?!?!?!?!? hole in my engine but not from being blown....

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:59 pm

ok so recently i blew my alternator belt off cause the bottom bracket thats aluminum broke and i just replaced it today so i go to start it up and my cars puring out smoke just 2 days ago when i blew it off was running fine.... so i search where its coming from little to find this hole in my block.... i feel like theres supposed to be some kinda of cap there can someone either give me a pic of there engine or tell me whats supposed to be here im almost positive nothing come through the block sence its like a perfect smooth circle

also this is a srt-4 engine

fixitmattman · Post by **fixitmattman** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:02 pm

Haha, you're missing a core plug

-Devil- · Post by **-Devil-** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:02 pm

without looking at mine to see .. i would say some sort of freeze plug ?

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:22 pm

can i just get this plug from the dealer and bang it back in or is it not that easy... i knew it was something with my core cause my AC heat would never get warm would just stay freezing cold so i knew core something

it popd out pretty easy so im assuming poping another one in is the same

03blackrt · Post by **03blackrt** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:27 pm

There should be a freez plug there for the coolant passages in the head. Hopefully you didn't run too long without coolant.... if you did your engine may be done for.

You'll need to pound in a new one.

OB · Post by OB » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:27 pm

You should be able to replace it with a new one and press it back in. If your heat hasnt been working then that would mean that this plug has probably causes a major coolant leak that has prevented it from getting up to your heater core and producing heat. Be sure your water level is correct and watch out for damage from overheating, especially in an SRT motor.

Nutmeg · Post by **Nutmeg** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:33 pm

Is this common?

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:20 pm

ive driven maybe 10 or 15 miles on it if that just enough to make it home my coolant never overheated it was maybe 10 or 15 minutes driving. and my coolant was still on the blue mark on the bottom so im pretty sure theres no damage sounds fine at idle no ticking

Post by **racer12306** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:34 pm

Then you know there is something wrong since the neon wasn't ticking at idle

I think the coolant temp sensor is more accurate when there is coolant going by it. So it may not have been getting a good reading. 10 - 15 min is plenty of time to warm a car up to operating temp when full of coolant, and plenty of time to kill an engine without coolant.

Definitely keep an eye on things when you get that freeze plug back in.

quicksilvr · Post by **quicksilvr** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:04 am

lvlistchif wrote:can i just get this plug from the dealer and bang it back in or is it not that easy... i knew it was something with my core cause my AC heat would never get warm would just stay freezing cold so i knew core something

it popd out pretty easy so im assuming poping another one in is the same

THE very first thing that should come to mind when your heat stops blowing hot is that your coolant is low. Which usually means there is a leak, or maybe the radiator is plugged up. Or it could also mean that you blew a freeze plug out and lost ALL your coolant,

.

Seriously though, I agree with racer12306...keep a close eye on it for awhile after you've fixed it and are driving it again. 10 or 15 times driving it when you didn't have heat could have definately toasted some stuff.

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:10 am

I agree with everyone to a point....
Freeze plugs are generally in the water jackets of the engine. Based on the look of the picture, motor oil is coming out which means it might not be a freeze plug. Although it could be, where is this location of the engine you took the picture?

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:21 am

blackrose could you tell me the part # for this part i need... this picture was taken right under the cam gears. in the top of the pic you can see the cam gears

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:14 am

anyone know the part # or actual name?

Danteneon · Post by **Danteneon** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:22 am

It is listed in the catalog as a core plug, 1.25 diameter.

Part #4556020AB...MSRP .50 cents.

It doesn't say in the catalog if it is a coolant or oil plug. Easy to install. Like said before, be very carefully after checking fluids for any strange noises or conditions.

fixitmattman · Post by **fixitmattman** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 5:11 pm

BlackRoseRacing wrote:I agree with everyone to a point....
Freeze plugs are generally in the water jackets of the engine. Based on the look of the picture, motor oil is coming out which means it might not be a freeze plug. Although it could be, where is this location of the engine you took the picture?

"Freeze Plugs" are used in a lot other areas than just where the coolant goes. A lot of times that's how they close off access holes needed to machine interior features. You'll find those plugs on heads, blocks, intake manifolds, anywhere. They don't always just block off coolant passages.

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:17 pm

well i ended up putting another one in and i guess i did push it in far enough cause on the other side of the block its deep in there and it blew off again but luckily i bought 2 so im gonna lip the motor up a little bit and bang it in correctly so its far in there and wont come out

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:31 pm

Make sure that you don't bang it through.

-Devil- · Post by **-Devil-** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:41 pm

it blew off again? .. maybe a headgasket that is gone now letting compression down into there and forcing the plug out?

Kelevra · Post by **Kelevra** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:42 pm

-Devil- wrote:it blew off again? .. maybe a headgasket that is gone now letting compression down into there and forcing the plug out?

sounds about right to me. is there any white smoke comming from the exhaust after you fill up the coolant?

Paul56 · Post by **Paul56** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 4:59 pm

Hmm...

Get cold where you live... like freezing cold?
Did you ever have your old coolant checked for what temperature it was good down to?

Possibility... the coolant froze in the block popping out a freeze plug. It was driven around a while before anything wrong was noticed... in driving it around the head overheated, warped and now there is a bigger problem.

I sincerely hope that isn't what happened, but it is a possibility.

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:30 pm

haha dang everyone thinks of the worst case everytime haha i just didnt pop it in far enough lol i know thats the reason why cause i barely put it in cause i didnt know how far it had to go in.

Post by **occasional demons** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:50 pm

From the looks of the pic in post #1 it hadn't come completely out. Was it to the water jacket in the head, or an oil passage? Looks like coolant but it's hard to tell from the pic. The best way to drive them in is with a socket that fits loosely in the core plug as a driver and pound it in, it should be a tight fit. but it doesnt look as if there is enough clearance to smack it with a hammer. If it isn't a tight fit the core hole may be a little bigger than spec. If thats the case then smear a little sensor safe silicone around it and drive it in, then take a punch and dent the aluminum at the edge of the hole to prevent it from backing out in the future. Generally it is not recommended to put anything on core plugs as the interference fit seals them, but if it is not tight enough that some force needs applied to seat it, then alternative measures are needed to ensure it's sealed and stays in place. If it still comes out then there are two options that I can think of: tap the hole with the closest pipe tap to 1.25" and get an internal hex pipe plug and thread it in, or replace the head. While this may seem extreme, it beats being 100 miles from nowhere and it popping out.
Edit: the only problem I can see with tapping is if there is not enough depth behind the hole to run the tap in deep enough. I guess there is one other option, and it would requre removing the head: Weld an aluminum disk over the hole. But if it was me and ti came to that I'd just buy another head. I've seen DOHC heads for less than $100.

lvlistchif · Post by **lvlistchif** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:00 am

ok so i got the new piece in and my car is having smoke come out of the breather on the top right of the valve cover. what would cause smoke to come out of the breather cause i thought the breather was supposed to suck in air...

NickKo · Post by **NickKo** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:41 am

lvlistchif wrote:ok so i got the new piece in and my car is having smoke come out of the breather on the top right of the valve cover. what would cause smoke to come out of the breather cause i thought the breather was supposed to suck in air...

Excess blow-by ??

-Nick

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:17 am

^^^
Sounds like you might have internal damage, I'd run a compression test to look for a bad cylinder...

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:22 am

We'll I see you must have found something since your now parting out the entire car..

Paul56 · Post by **Paul56** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:32 am

BlackRoseRacing wrote:We'll I see you must have found something since your now parting out the entire car..

Well, from that post...

"i had put water in it over the winter and blew a freeze plug so internal damage is done"

I was hoping this wasn't the situation with the issue.

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 8:56 pm

The freeze plugs are supposed to blow if the water jackets are frozen. The plug in your pic though is not in a water jacket....