I guess my question is what drives the need for a solution to the blown freeze plug issue? Any programer or power addition? Powerful programmers e.g. over 1xx hp?? or everyone should have a solution in place?

I've run beta 4.4 since it was released, always warm the truck to operating temp 190+ prior to getting on it....hard to do as there's always someone that wants to play when i'm at 125*....

i did have 2 places in my truck that leaked coolant
- hose right by the thermostat cap (put a clamp on it and it's fixed)
- left side by the turbo / exhause manifold (tightened clamps and it's fixed)

Should i take that as a sign that my coolant pressue is too high, or is that just a normal issue with these trucks?

 

At what PSI should the pressure be releived? I was thinking about plumbing a check valve from the rear plug Or any plug for that matter.

 

All the "HOT" high hp programmers provide Alot of timing, high fueling, and high rpms which all contribute to freeze plug failure. I've never blown one and I am lucky for that but I feel it is necessary to have a bypass of some sort in place....on my power engine I clipped and drilled the brass bar bells and yes it did take longer for the engine to warm up but I constantly had 2 x 3/16" coolant circulating so pressure never built up and the coolant was always circulating which prevents the coolant from getting a thermal spike. XLR8R's kit is the best and if you are serious about protecting the potential of freeze plug blow out and keeping coolant pressures at ideal levels. EEP has a cheap kit which you can use to bypass the thermastat according to coolant pressure. This is quick and easy and would probably prevent 80% of plug problems. Clipping the bar bells and drilling is not recommended for a daily driver as it costs you mileage with the lower block temps....but it does solve the plug problem in maybe 60% of the cases. XLR8R's solution is a 100% cure....you decide. Kerry

 

i had same problem with mine before my smarty 4.4 actually my truck was stock and leaked. dodge dealer here said its common problem so no worries

 

discharging to the reservoir makes me nervous...thats my only concern...I would hate to starve the engine of coolant..

 

gas motors use overflow tanks all the time in drag racing, i dont see what the difference would be. but then again, im not very knowledgable w/ these diesel cooling systems.

if the motor is warmed up and the tstat is opened, why is it building enough pressure to blow a plug anyway? it would have to be from thermal expansion wouldnt it? in which case an expansion/overflow tank would be a simple fix.....but then again, the trucks have an overflow tank already. idk...

if the tstat is just simply too small to move the coolant while its opened, wouldnt an upgraded housing w/ larger tstat be a proper fix?

 

That's why the BOE's primary relief circuit vents excessive coolant pressure to the suction side of the water pump during every overpressure event. It's rated for thousands of cycles.

The secondary purge circuit dumps into the surge tank to provide instant driver notification and compile enough volume data for post-event calculation of it's duration.
It's simply not possible for the water jacket to lose a significant amount of coolant through the surge tank with the BOE kit.

Of course, both primary & secondary circuits have calibrated relief valves which feature trackside adjustability.

 

coolant temp low=T-stat closed+water pump turning(at high rpm if your driving it hard)=high coolant pressures pre T-stat.

coolant temp low=T-stat closed+water pump turning(at low rpm if your driving it easy)=low coolant pressures pre T-stat.


coolant temp high=T-stat open+water pump turning=high coolant pressure all through the system.

the difference is with the T-stat open, you have the radiator cap to vent off over pressure.

 

I blew a rear plug on the track. I made sure the engine was up to running temp and as far as I could tell the thermostat was not closed. It was the 5th or sixth run that evening.

I now have a plate over the rear plug, but still I never get on it until I have seen the engine temp go past 200* and back some telling me the t-stat has opened.

 

Exactly. Let the thermostat open first. I blew my freeze plug out with the temp reading 200 but BEFORE the tstat opened.

 

shoot it could happen with a partially closed t-stat too....IMHO it's to hard to tell by the gauge if it is fully open, fully closed or partially closed or just starting to close cause your sitting there idling.......I would need the piece of mind of a bypass or a BOE kit..but I am kinda a worry wort like that

 

I have blocked off my back plug...

After ALWAYS letting the engine hit operating temp...I hammer 3500 rpms and 627 hp out of my engine daily and have not had an issue.

This summer...I clipped both bells on the t-stat. The engine took a little longer to reach operating temp...and seemed to stay below 200 more often on those 100 degree days of hot-rodding.

In the winter...the clipped bells make it impossible for your truck to warm up...have a regular t-stat for the winter.

 

I think Dodge had the wrong sized plugs in place. They have a updated plug or part # I blew one and insalled the new updated plug and made a plate. no problems for now but waiting for it again, and yes it will happen again. I have a buddy thats blown three diff, ones. Some guys I hear are taking a propeller or two of the water pump to keep pressure down. Others are using a electric pump, said RPM's have alot to do with this problem.

 

ive tipped back a few, but if im thinkin correctly,it sounds like the waterpump cranks out too much pressure period. this is confirmed bye the fact that ive towed 12000 pounds in 108 degree outside temps at high allitude for 5 hours straight and the engine never went above 205 coolant temps. so, what about power pulleys? i put them on my lightning and they slow down everything. i dont know just a thought.late

 

Sounds to me more like a heating and cooling issue of dissimilar metals causing the plugs to work loose over time. Anyone ever actually put a pressure gauge on the block to see what the actual pressure is?

ON edit, I clicked on the boe kit link and he has a 60lb gauge plumbed in, which is more reasonable max pressure to expect but even at 25 or 30 psi a plug thats slightly loose can have 30-60lbs of force pushing against it depending on its size of course.