2006 blown freeze plug!
 

Got my truck back friday and I blew the freeze plug with in 20 minutes. Why woud this happen. The truck felt like it was running good. no bully dog downloader just edge going on 5 not hot juice. I cant figure out why the plug would come out? Foud a cool way to fix though.

when are you going to dyno it?

you gonna install the plate over the plug and use the tapped/threaded holes already in the block? thats what i'm gonna do.

Theres a way to fix it the real way....but its too complicated for me[laugh]

Yeah there going to use the plate. My main question is what would cause your freeze plug to blow. is my truck set up wrong? It sure felt strong with only the edge juice on 5. I cant believe I had that much power with only the tuner it was insane. I hope some people out there can give me some good answers so I can figure out whats going on. There fixing it on monday tomorrow. Thanks Guys. p.s my buddy would not give my larry back so I sold it and bought a PPE. Keep in mind my motor is a new long block.

when you gonna put it on the rollers?

what plug did you blow?

Dang dude that sucks!!!!![verymad]

was your truck up to operating temp yet???

Why exactly does a freeze plug let go? Do you loose all coolant when it does pop?

they can go because they get old and rusty, but that would not be the case here. (It might have been installed wrong or not seated all the way too.)
Would a blown head gasket cause a freeze plug to blow???
Does your truck just have headstuds??
how much boost where you running??


Yes most all of the coolant would spew out of the engine.

I was in a truck that blew a freeze plug. the twice I have seen it happen it was with a Smarty/TST stack. cylinder pressure was too high i guess....but occured on 04.5 trucks that I know of....but it happens on other models too.

coolant coated the underside of the truck....the temp gauge was maxxed....and the engine idled up to 1100.

i popped mine at the track. shut the track down for an hour. no iea why it popped.

was your truck up to temp when it blew????

Where can I locate my freeze plug? I would hate to be under WOT and have mine pop open. How can you re-enforce them to prevent them from popin?

Has anyone ruined an engine from this happening?

How high were the tst/smarty set.

I blew the plug getting on the freeway. We were just doing a test run just got everything put on the new long block. I want to know why this happened i was not even stacking. My truck blew up a few months ago and I just rebuilt it so i want it to work right. I dont think the boost was that high it couldnt have been I only was running the edge on 5. I need more info on why this would happen. Pl

TST on 4/4....Smarty on 8.

was your truck warmed up!!!!!![director]

they are all over the engine block silver cap looking thing recessed into the block.
I have never heard of reinforcing them???I don't think you can.

It could ruin your engine if you kept driving and did not notice your temp gauge buried in the red.

it's not a very common thing to have happen I would not worry to much unless you are bombed like blackbeast

this is beginning to be a common problem, I think

mine blew also...

WOW! I am amazed at how many have blown plugs out!!

Crazy:eek:

seems like the back plug (the one below the head and above the tranny) like to blow. ive heard of stock trucks blowing them but not as much as modded trucks. not sure if its because its the hottest cylinder or what. heres my post and how i fixed it from a when my blew.





lmills,
heres what i did and what youll need to do it. probaly other ways but this is how i ended up doin it. the plate i used is 1/4'' thick x 2 1/2 wide x 9 1/2'' long. the 2 bolts u need are m-12 -1.75- 30 . there are 2 bolt holes about 3 inches on each side of the plug. since its hard to get to and you cant see the holes without a mirror i drilled a hole in 1 side of the plate and the other side i just cut a 2 inch slot so i had some room for error. shouldnt hurt anything since im using washers. i put the plug in as far as it would go with my hand and pushed it the rest of the way tightning the 2 bolts. now that keeps the plug flush with the block but the other plugs are reccesed about a 1/8 inch or so. after i had it in flush i then took some scrap metal and cut it to fit inside the plug since the plug is cupped shaped. i let the scrap metal stick out about a 1/8 of an inch so when the plate went flush it moved the plug in that 1/8. hopefully it all holds well. i cant see how this thing would ever come out again on its own.

The plate is supposed to show up tomorrow and they are going to install it with the u bolts I suppose. IS it common for this to happen to trucks that are not warmed up. Im assuming the mechanic warmed it up. If he did is that why? DOes not seem likely. My main question is what happens next time when it wants to blow and cant becasue there is a steel plate there. WHere does the pressure go? DOes it just stay in or try to blow somewhere else. I know my truck will run better when the downloader is intstalled. Any new thoughts?

Here is my "thought" when the truck is NOT warmed up the coolant has no where to go when you floor it, the water pump is still pumping (pumping hard at WOT) but the thermostat is closed and the fluid can not make it's complete circulation of fluid and starts to build pressure (in just the block)until it pops the weakest link. weakest link being a small thin piece of tin that is made to pop out/freeze plug.



judge88, how long have you been running on that fix????

They just put in a new long block. So I have not been runnin it long at all. This all happened on a test run. Im going to ask the mechanic how long he warmed up the new block before taking off. Im sure he did but your explanation makes so much sense. I got lucky by the time we got it back to the shop it never got passed 215 mainly was at 213.

when mine blew, the motor was definately warm

I am puttin a plate over mine as soon as I drop the trans for the clutch, should make install a lot easier.

Was it the freeze plug on the rear of the head? If so it is the first 06 I have heard of blowing out. The plug looks a lot different on 06s and there are no threaded holes back there other than your fuel return. Tim

Hey timinva hows it going. Man I tho9ught or sure i would habe 700but with what you have compared to what I HAVE i THINK IM NOT GONNA MAKE IT. aNYWAY WHO CARES i JUST WANT THE TRUck to run right. It is the plug in the back of the motor. first one I heard blowing. Are those all the parts you9 used to make 662HP. Someday when i dyno if I dont make my quest to700 on #2 only I will look for bigger nozzles. Timinva why doese the plug blow . Is my truck running wrong?

I did not have the twin cp3s, cam or springs when I dynoed 662hp. I think the freeze plugs come out do to high rpm and the thermostat not opening fast enough(water pump pressure). I removed the brass plugs from my thermostsat to keep a small amount of flow even with the motor cold. This should help with the freeze plugs but does increase warm up time. I block about 2/3 of my radiator during the winter to help warm up and keep the thermostat open.

Would a piece of hard plastic or hard rubber be a better idea? I'm picturing metal on metal + vibration on a thin surace might lead to a hole in the plug.

(judge88, how long have you been running on that fix????)



all last racing season till now. i have the head off and i just checked it and it hasnt moved at all. probally had 150 or so passes on th 1/4 mile with it.

I probably should not post yet, but here goes. I have added a picture that some may have already seen. It was taken by the track photographer at Houston Raceway Park on 9/24/2006. He was just taking cool shots of vehicles on the track at sunset. But he also caught my rear freeze plug in mid air before it hit the track. You can also see the coolant pouring out on the track. This picture is at the 1/8 mile point. I did not know it happened until I slowed down at the end of the quarter and saw the engine temp gauge buried. That run was 12.81s @ 106mph.

Wreckered it to HotRodDiesels and had a new freeze plug put in with a cap. Engine seemed ok, ran good. Made the DHRA event a couple weeks later. Had some good runs on that Saturday, couple in the high 12s. Made another trip to the track late October and made two passes with my normal street stack and ran 13.1s quarter.

Then I noticed an ugly smell and was hoping just residue burning off engine and exhaust from before. Finally started looking. Smell is from the blow by tube, I know the smell. Can feel engine compression cycles with the oil filler cap off and see that ugly white smoke kind of oozing out. Started using about a quart of oil every 2,500 miles or so and it is not a head gasket problem. So I am pretty sure there is major piston and cylinder damage if not more(valves, seats, etc.). Unfortunately it caught me at a very bad time money wise. So far it runs fine, even getting the best mileage it has ever gotten. I drive it daily and will until it blows or I get flush again.

When I do find out how bad it is I will post it, that is what I was going to wait and do, but this thread seems appropriate for now. Just posting to show that the freeze plug can be a major problem at the wrong time.

I have well over 200 hard track runs over the last two years and have seen high EGTs for a second or so with no problems. But engine temp 250+* and high EGTs with your foot on the floor can and should be catostrophic.

http://dodgetruckworld.tenmagazines....ude/323588.jpg

ramwheelsby4,
thats stinks man i hope your engine is ok. i guess i got lucky because mine blew right at the end and the engine temps never raised believe it or not.

If you want a quick fix just stick one of these in there...
expandable rubber freeze plug- I don't know how long it would last tho.[laugh]

John, I was gonna pm you but since you are here...
I talked to Michel at HRD and he said he would fab me up a plate and hopefully have it here by the weekend so I can put it on with my trans dropped. Actually if the clutch beats it here I will have to wait.

BTW Michel is a great guy and while I had him on the phone he also went ahead and gave me instructions for intalling the freeze plug cap, clutch intall, AND head studding a motor. Hes supposed to call me later this week but you were right he is an awsome guy. Thanks for the help and as always pointing me in the right direction.

Did you not look at your temp gauge yourself before getting on the go pedal?Or were you not driving

Sounds like you got yourself a pretty wicked ride when you get all the bugs worked out.

Good luck.

i wondered the samething:rolleyes:.

I dont think he was there when they tested the truck, dont sound like he was

I was in the passenger seat.

Tim, I hope the brass pins out works for you. The truck not being warmed up is the problem. If the thermastat is closed and the revs go to WOT the waterpump pressurizes the coolant ducts well above what an aluminum press in plug can handle so they pop. An engine that has had alot of very hot and cold temperatures together with a closed thermastat are susceptible of the plugs popping. The cold block compresses the plug then the very hot block expands and the thin wall aluminum plug loses grip. The thermastat is not open and the block is not hot until you are flowing lots of heat from the heater core or the truck has run for at least 15 minutes with load....not idling. It takes about 10 minutes to pop the thermastat out and clip the brass pins off. I drilled mine slighly larger about 3/16.....just to be sure. The engine takes a little longer to warm and the mileage might drop a tiny bit but its worth it. ks